The ministry, according to its official spokesman, established a task force comprising 125 of its employees and asked them to work during the Eid holidays to vet the qualifications of 10,000 health institute graduates prior to offering them jobs.
The task force, which may be the largest of its kind in the history of the Kingdom, recommended that 4,000 of the graduates be employed in government jobs and the other 6,000 sent to the Ministry of Labor to employ them in the private sector.
Were there any clear and transparent parameters used by the task force to differentiate between the graduates? Was the choice of those recommended for government jobs based on seniority? Has the decision been made according to distinction and grades? Has the selection been done with the help of a fair and just mechanism? Has it been done according to the interests of the health sector and the health of the citizen? Many questions rise concerning the decision of the task force.
My heart goes to those who were sent to the Ministry of Labor to employ them in the private sector, where the pay is low compared to the public sector and the work conditions tough.
These graduates remained unemployed for three years after graduation. Some of them studied for four years at their own expense, paying fees of more than SR50,000. They were keen to study medical specializations that the country needed and were dreaming of being employed by the Ministry of Health. They found themselves, after these years and with long-cherished dreams, thrown in the bosom of the private sector.
I am not against Saudization of jobs in the private sector, especially in the health sector. I also consider the private sector one of the most important channels to support the government in creating jobs for citizens. But the question here is about justice and equality among all. What mistake did the health graduates who were asked to go to the private sector make? Why were some of their colleagues favored over them?
I do not personally know any of these graduates, but I came to know about their sufferings and their appeal to the concerned authorities to intervene and correct the matter after the decision of the Ministry of Civil Service. I fully support them, and in turn request both the Civil Service and the Health ministries to treat them equal to their colleagues and find jobs for them in government facilities. What backs me in my stand is not only their suffering, but also the big number of foreigners working at government hospitals and health centers. The citizens have priority over foreigners to be employed in support jobs such as nursing, a specialization most often filled by foreigners.
On the other hand, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah authorized the Finance Ministry to provide funds for the employment of Saudis. There is no excuse anymore.
Maybe, through the employment of these Saudi graduates, we can get rid of medical mistakes and restore citizens' confidence, damaged by reports of deaths due to medical errors and forged medical certificates the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties is uncovering every day.
