MADINAH – Young women who work as front office clerks at hospitals and clinics are overcoming the challenges of facing the stigma associated with the job with great confidence and determination, Makkah daily reported. Female receptionists in front offices are looked down upon by many members of society since they have to interact with members of the opposite sex. Tahani Al-Jihani, a Saudi receptionist at a health center, said, “People are still looking down on employed young women who have to deal with men. Some male patients slam their money or credit cards on the counter in an arrogant way, just to avoid handing it directly to the receptionist. Others give us leaflets carrying religious edicts that forbid women working alongside men.” Al-Jihani added that some men even ask them to immediately resign from their jobs. Suha Nasr, a Saudi woman who has been working for the past five years at a private health center, said management receptionists responsible for all errors even if the patient is at fault. “Private businesses, whether they are hospitals or health centers, are keen to satisfy the patient who pays for the service he gets without taking into consideration the psychological effect on the female employee. I was insulted by a patient and he was about to beat me because the doctor refused to see him. When problems occur with the patients, doctors absolve themselves of responsibility and the blame falls on the female receptionist,” she said. “We have to put up with all of this for a meager SR2,000 every month. It is a small amount and we have no right to reply to the patient or defend ourselves. Whoever dares to do so is fired,” she added. Afaf, a Saudi female receptionist at a private hospital, said she experienced a lot of discrimination and does not receive support or training for self-development. “Male patients often use rude language when talking to female receptionists. One patient, referring to my eyes, asked me to ‘cover the eyes of the snake' and another shouted, ‘Hey woman, isn't there a man I can talk to?' When patients refuse to pay, the management blames us and deducts it from our salaries,” she said.
