Employment contracts signed with expatriates have sometimes come under fire for their ambiguity regarding salaries or benefits. What was agreed to and signed on is later found not to be carved in stone. A case in point is the following I received from a concerned expatriate:

“Dear Tariq A. Al-Maeena:

“I often read your columns and share your thoughts with my friends and colleagues. I find your opinions mostly honest and logic-based. A few days ago, I read your piece “Voices of the expatriates among us” that encouraged me to bring to your kind notice a recent example of cold-bloodedness toward one of the most learned and honorable expatriate members of your society.

“One of my colleagues (also an expatriate), who is working as a university professor and is one of the most productive scientists in Saudi Arabia, was recently diagnosed with colorectal cancer. He urgently needs chemotherapy/ radiation therapy treatment. According to local doctors, at his young age, the cancer cells can grow quickly, and the disease can spread to other parts (organs) of the body. His reports were sent to a specialist hospital. However, he has been bluntly refused any kind of therapeutic treatment because expatriates are not entitled to this treatment.

“According to his contract with the university under the Ministry of Higher Education, Government of Saudi Arabia, he and his family are fully entitled to free medical care. Yet, this is the second case in which our colleagues have been bluntly refused any kind of free cancer treatment. In an earlier case, the efforts of our university administration and diligent Saudi staff finally got the approval after several months. In this case, the delay in getting such an approval for therapeutic treatment may lead to irreversible damage.

“I strongly feel this is not only unethical, but quite inhumane and insulting to a suffering human being. In a country considered as the holiest place and the headquarters of Islam, a religion that symbolizes giving water to a thirsty dog as an act of earning Allah’s mercy, there should be no tolerance toward this kind of inhuman attitude, bias and cold-bloodedness. After all expatriates are human beings.

“Since treatment can take anywhere between six weeks to six months, my only hope at this moment is that my colleague gets sufficient “leave” (without pay) for proper treatment in his home country without the fear of losing his job/contract, and that he can resume his job when he is well. But I also want to bring to the kind notice of all concerned that:

“(a) If it is a policy (law) to not treat any deserving expatriate cancer patients without approval from concerned ministry/authority, please change it for the sake of humanity. All human beings are equal. And to save a human life, the treatment should be started as soon as possible without waiting for such approval. The approval from the competent authority can be sought afterward.

“(b) If it is not a policy (law), but an act of negligence and cold-bloodedness by the doctors/medical staff of the respective hospital, they should be educated on this matter or asked to justify their actions.

“I hope this issue is addressed. Sincerely - An expatriate”

Regardless of who is right or wrong on the stipulations and the conditions of the employment contract, we have a very sick man here whose life could be saved through early intervention.

Let us do that now, and go back to the fine print on the contract later. Lest we forget, a human life has immeasurable value to loved ones.

— The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena