Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Female paramedics are almost completely absent among staff of the Red Crescent Society Authority, deputy chairwoman of the health and environmental affairs committee in the Shoura Council Lubna Al-Ansari told Al-Eqtisadiah daily. She demanded that the help of female Saudi paramedics should be taken within the working team of the authority's paramedics. She stressed that all members of the Shoura Council are speaking on behalf of Saudi families and that the council realizes the problems women face when there is a need for paramedics to intervene. Al-Ansari said the presence of female paramedics will remove the embarrassment many women face when dealing with male paramedics. “Nothing prevents the existence of female paramedics within ambulatory working teams. This is what is being demanded by the Shoura Council — to gradually employ female paramedics in the authority beginning with the centers in the cities, then the centers outside the cities on the expressways. We have plans for women to be present in government sectors where they were previously absent,” she said. She pointed out that the recent report by the Red Crescent Authority which was discussed in the Shoura Council's previous session has laid down the criteria for building ambulance outposts — at least one center for 50,000 people in densely populated areas, one center for 30,000 people in moderately populated areas and outside major cities there should be one center every 50 km. She added that she hopes the authority will expand its reliance on air ambulances in the rest of the regions. During their 46th session, members of the Shoura Council demanded that the Ministry of Civil Service employ more women. Meanwhile, Dr. Nasser Al-Mousa demanded the Ministry of Civil Service expand the employment of women and not restrict employment to the health and education sectors. He proposed conducting a study to achieve justice in employment procedures in a way that ensures they are free from discrimination.
