The nurses say such harassment only used to happen in impoverished areas. This, they say, is no longer the case.
“I sometimes fear working night shifts because hospitals tend to be quiet and empty. This is the time when patients take advantage of being alone and start harassing us,” said Oddete, a Filipino nurse at a government hospital in Jeddah.
“On one occasion, I took a whole team of nurses to check on a male patient. I did this to ensure he did not make a move or speak to me.
“The weird thing is this never used to happen to me when I worked at a private hospital in a better location in Jeddah. I believe this was because people at the previous hospital were upper class and better educated,” said Oddete.
“Patients and doctors misunderstand nurses. They assume that when nurses are being kind, they are being flirtatious,” said Basma, a Saudi nurse at a private hospital in Jeddah. “Being nice and kind to people are part of the ABC of nursing and this is what we learned at university. To always meet patients and doctors with a smile is a requirement of our job,” she said.
“Doctors are also among those who harass us, because they see us and deal with us on a daily basis. I once slapped a doctor I used to work with because of his constant comments and insistence I take his number and call him,” she added.
Many nurses also allege that the administration departments of hospitals always try to cover up complaints of harassment. “A group of nurses went to the administration to ask for protection from patients and male colleagues who constantly flirt and joke with us,” said Hanan, an Egyptian nurse at a private hospital in Jeddah.
“They always ask us to put up with it and not to speak about it with anyone to protect the hospital’s reputation. All we want is for them to give us in writing that they will not inappropriately approach us and that they will maintain a professional relationship with us,” she added.
Some nurses, on the other hand, are of the view that not all nurses are harassed, only a minority. “I’ve been working as a nurse for more than 10 years and I have never been harassed. I think it’s because I know how to draw the line and make sure that my relationship with my patients and male colleagues remains strictly professional. I don’t even joke with them,” said Gina, a Filipino nurse at a public hospital.
“I see nurses and other staff laughing and joking with their patients in their free time. I’m not at all surprised that they then cross the line with them,” she added.
Arab News tried to call the Nursing Department at the Ministry of Health but no one was available for comment.
