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X-ray technicians threaten to sue ministry for jobs

By By HAYAT AL-GHAMDI ABHA: Many young Saudi graduates of a X-ray technician diploma course have been left unemployed following a decision by the Ministry of Health not to employ X-ray technicians who only have diplomas in their fields.

The ministry's move poses a huge problem for many young Saudi men and women who have spent huge amounts of money to obtain diplomas in various medical subjects. The decision not to employ diploma holders has occurred at a time when several medical institutes continue offering such courses across the Kingdom.

Mubarak Asiri received his X-ray technician diploma from the Technical Institute for Health Training at King Khaled University. After completing the 30-month course, Asiri completed six months training at Asir Central Hospital. He also spent SR32,000 and never thought he would be unemployed after graduation.

Mubarak said the 46 technicians who graduated along with him in 2007 are still unemployed because of the Ministry of Health 's decision. The ministry now requires all technicians to have a minimum bachelor's degree in their respected field.

"We have to spend SR120,000 to obtain a bachelor's degree to meet the Ministry of Health 's requirement. We joined the institute that was affiliated to King Khaled University after the ministry granted it a license to run the course, which was supervised by the university at the academic level," said Asiri.

He described the ministry's decision as unfair, and called on it to pay for him and his classmates to complete the bachelor's degree course. He added that some of his classmates have lodged complaints against the institute, which is still enrolling students on courses for which there are no jobs.

"We have filed a similar complaint against the Ministry of Health for the double standards. The ministry has taken urgent steps to appoint women graduates from the same institute at various government hospitals on the pretext of replacing the foreign workforce," he said.

He added that no action has so far been taken. "We are now in dire need of money to hire a lawyer to launch a case against this injustice. Several like-minded diploma holders from various regions, including Qassim and Hafr Al-Batin, have joined us via the Internet to champion this cause," he added.

Mubarak said his mother has had to bear a lot of difficulties to pay for his studies so far. "The Ministry of Health 's decision has dashed my mother's hope that I earn a livelihood for me and my six siblings. Our financial situation has not been easy after our father abandoned us and now leads a separate life with his second wife," he said.

Abdul Raheem Al-Shehri, another young Saudi man who graduated from the same institute, has had a similar experience. Al-Shehri obtained a certificate from the Saudi Authority for Medical Specialization (SAMS) after completing his diploma.

"I was in the first batch of X-ray technicians who were promised jobs by the Ministry of Health in Asir. We had been directed to submit our job applications via the Civil Affairs office and this we did in 2008. We were waiting for jobs until the ministry announced its new law last year. After that, those who had bachelor's degrees applied for the posts and were given jobs. We weren't," said Al-Shehri.

Meanwhile, an official source at the Health Affairs Department in Asir said 18 hospitals and 300 health centers in the region are in need of X-ray technicians. "The ministry is still hiring technicians from abroad at a time when a large number of qualified young Saudis need jobs," said the source.

© Arab News 2011