The Thirteenth Administrative Circuit in the Jeddah Administrative Court is to look into a complaint by 21 female nurses against the Ministry of Civil Service and the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) Tuesday. The female nurses are demanding recognition of the training program they underwent for a whole year and that they be employed in the government sector as some of them have remained without a job for six years now. A previous court session was adjourned at the request of the Nursing Institute which sought time to prepare its reply to some of the questions raised in the court. Meanwhile, SCFHS lawyers have sought rejection of the lawsuit in form and content while the representative of the Ministry of Civil Service stuck on naming of the diploma the female nurses obtained after graduation as “health assistants in private hospitals” and not in government hospitals. The nurses obtained the diploma from private institutes and hold recognized certificates qualifying them to work as health assistants in hospitals. However, the Ministry of Civil Service has refused to accept the diplomas under the pretext that it is specifically for “qualified health assistants to work in the private sector” and this does not make it incumbent upon the state to employ the nurses. The ministry said the nurses have to look for employment in the private sector. The nurses have accused the SCFHS, Ministry of Civil Service and the private nursing institute of intentionally delaying the court proceedings.
