HOFUF — Fatimah Al-Sultan is a nurse at King Fahd Hospital in Hofuf in Al-Ahsa governorate. She is facing difficulties and does not know what to do about her case. She has a disabled son who cannot walk and she has to take care of him, especially at night. But she cannot because the hospital's administration insists that she work night shifts only. She cannot quit her job because she has to help her husband in sharing expenses. Although she submitted many letters to Al-Ahsa Directorate of Health Affairs explaining her situation and the need for her to work during day to take care of her son, all her requests were rejected. “I didn't ask for a raise or promotion. All I want is that my shift be changed to day instead of night to attend to my disabled son at home.” She submitted medical reports to the directorate and pleaded with officials to help, but no one responded positively. She even spoke to the minister of health when he visited the hospital recently. Fatimah's husband Omran Al-Sultan, who is a private-sector employee, said their son was born with severe disabilities, including mental retardation. “We have great difficulty finding someone who can take care of our son at night when his mother is away at work.” Al-Sultan says the hospital allows expatriate nurses to work one shift and there are Saudi nurses who are not married and do not have to do two shifts. The husband sent a letter to the ministry and requested the directorate to consider the mother's predicament but nothing concrete materialized. His wife starts work at midnight and gets off at 8:00 a.m. Sometimes, she has to take her son to hospital for a medical appointment after she gets off work.
