By Suhail bin Hasan Qadi
I HAVE always said that if Saudization was introduced to the teaching staff in universities then the outcomes would be very harmful. I do not underestimate anyone here. However, universities are where multiculturalism and multinationalism should exist. This is because diversity is the secret behind enlightening the minds of students. Diversity teaches our students to learn effectively and to communicate positively with other cultures. Some universities abroad do not accept a student to study for a postgraduate degree unless that student is culturally well rounded. Therefore, Saudi universities need to take this into consideration. There is only a limited number of teaching staff who are truly knowledgeable.
On the other hand, I would like to express my admiration to a beautiful opinion article written by Dr. Hazim Darwish Zaqzouq titled a “Citizen, a Barber and a Doctor.” In his article he writes that a barber or a makeup artist working in beauty salons earn much more than a doctor who works night and day. The doctor who works long hours and attends night shifts gets only SR15 to SR180 for each patient. As a result, his monthly income would be around SR7,000 to SR30,000. Zaqzouq adds that there is no minimum price for medical insurance, and services in hospitals and private clinics. He then calls for a law that would clarify the minimum price of medical insurance and services. This is necessary to ensure doctors get their rights.
If we were to add the demands of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, as well as the Ministry of Health, to Saudization as mentioned previously then the results would be totally miserable. I recommend the Council of Cooperative Health Insurance and the Council of Competition as well as any other responsible agency to understand this and look deeply at the situation.
