Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — A number of women pharma graduates are struggling to get jobs at government-run hospitals, Al-Hayat daily reported on Saturday. A group of recent graduates told the Arabic daily that they all graduated from ministry-accredited private health institutes and were approved by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS). Dana Abdulrahman, a recent graduate, said she worked hard to become a pharmacist and get accredited but has been unable to find a job. “I'm officially approved by the SCHS, but when I applied for a job at Qassim Health Affairs my application was rejected because they did not have any openings for pharmacists. I don't understand this,” Abdulrahman said. “The hospital's pharmacy is run by three expatriate pharmacists who hold the same degree I have. Moreover, the pharmacy just signed a three-year contract with the hospital,” she said, adding that none of Qassim's nearly 50 women pharma graduates have been able to find a job. Monira Al-Shammary said ministry-run hospitals in Qassim have a lot of expatriate pharmacists but no Saudi women. “My family paid a lot of money for my education and now I can't find a job,” she said. Another graduate from Hail said she studied to be a midwife but could not find a job at a government hospital. Last week, a number of graduates gathered in front of the Health Affairs Directorate in Madinah and demanded to meet senior officials but their request was denied.
