An Arab pediatric specialist at Children's and Maternity Hospital in Aziziyah District has moved the Human Rights Commission (HRC) against the hospital's personnel department for “unfair” termination of his contract. The doctor, who holds a Master's in pediatrics, said that his job title and benefits were unlawfully transferred to a Saudi doctor at the hospital in violation of his contract with the Ministry of Health. The hospital had placed him in a new lower-grade job with fewer benefits despite the fact that he was continuing his original work, said Doctor Mohsin Abdulminim. The doctor said he sought the hospital's legal channels to settle the case before going to the HRC. “When I asked to be reinstated to my original job, the head of the personnel department at the hospital hit the roof, taking it personally and terminating my contract saying that there were ‘no jobs available',” Abdulminim said. An official at the Jeddah Health Department said that the termination of the doctor's contract came as part of the Saudization process at the hospital. The law guarantees the termination of foreign medical workers when qualified Saudis turn up for the jobs, said Turki Al-Sharief, assistant director of the Jeddah Health Department. “It is in the contract clauses,” said Al-Sharief. The hospital director had earlier requested the extension of Abdulminim's contract with the hospital in a letter sent to the Jeddah Health Department. “The termination of Dr. Abdulminim's contract would affect the flow of work in the hospital. He is one the best specialists at the hospital,” the official hospital letter said. Abdulminim's grievance case has been forwarded to the Jeddah governorate to reconsider the reinstatement of his contract, an official source at the Human Rights Commission said.
