Immigrant nurses displace Yemenis [Archives:2006/947/Reportage]

Hakim Almasmari
hakim_almasmari@hotmail.com
Nasser Saleh, a 47-year-old from Sana'a man, complained about mistreatment when an Asian nurse treated him at one of Yemen's largest government hospitals. The language barrier between him and the largely foreign nursing staff caused them to handle him harshly, Saleh said.

“She treated me as if I was a prisoner and not a patient. Hospital patients need to feel secure and relaxed. This is part of good and decent treatment,” said Saleh, who was admitted to the hospital earlier this year for serious chest pains.

Like Saleh, many Yemenis share similar feelings about Asian nurses, with patients often complaining that these nurses act callously as caretakers in hospitals and clinics.

Medical studies have demonstrated that an essential role of nurses is to put patients at ease, letting them know they are in caring hands. In this way, patients relax and are more likely to be comfortable with their surroundings.

“I was given an injection for my fever and the foreign female nurse treating me was very rough. I tried to tell her to handle the situation smoothly, but she replied to me in her language and I didn't understand a word,” said 34-year-old Atif Saleh, who has minor health problems. “I just hope these large hospitals will give Yemeni nurses a chance to use their skills,” he added.

Yemeni society tends to favor anything foreign. Dr. Haytham Al-Gasaali readily admits that Yemen lacked qualified medical staff in the past, which resulted in the recruitment of foreign doctors in order to fill the gap in the medical sector. “Nowadays, things have changed, as Yemenis are more experienced and qualified,” noted Al-Gasaali.

A pharmacist by trade, Al-Gasaali has worked in the medical field for more than five years. “It's time for the government to give its people a chance and open the doors for nationals. Yemenis deserve this chance,” he added.

Al-Gasaali noted that more than 5,000 Asians – who easily could be replaced by local Yemenis – work in various sectors in the Yemeni labor market, resulting in increased poverty and a higher unemployment rate in Yemen, which stands at 38 percent, according to the UNDP 2006 report.

“Yemen has become a haven for foreigners who cannot find decent jobs in their countries,” 39-year-old cancer patient Nagi Khalid said. “Our hospitals hire these foreigners not for their experience, but for the importance of giving the hospital a foreign face,” he said.

According to medical sources within the government circles, the four largest government hospitals in Sana'a alone employ 641 Asian nurses, not to mention all hospitals in the city. The majority, 300, are at Al-Thowra Hospital, followed by Al-Sabae'en Hospital with 180, Kuwait Hospital employing 120 and Al-Jamhoury Hospital with 41.

Asian nurses immigrate to Yemen seeking a better future, as many of these labor immigrants have endured poverty in their native land. The Yemeni medical field presents greater opportunities for advancement than some countries in Asia such as India, with less competition, giving Asian immigrants a better chance of obtaining work. This was clearly understood when talking to an Indian citizen residing in Yemen who preffered to be left anonymous.

“The reason why many Indian nurses come to Yemen is because they couldn't find a decent position in their country. This is life. Yemenis living in the Gulf, Europe and America did not go there for fun, but rather to seek a good future for themselves and their children,” said Fatima Abdul Saboor, a Yemeni nurse who earns three times less than an Asian nurse with similar qualifications and experience.

Concerning compensation, Asian nurses earn four to six times more than Yemenis who have the same or an even higher degree and greater experience in the field on average. According to Al-Jimhouri government hospital sources, Asian nurses receive between YR 60,000-140,000 ($300-$700) monthly, while Yemenis with the same level of education and experience receive between YR 30,000-60,000 ($150-$300) monthly

“I feel sad for those graduates who strove day in and day out seeking a better future through medicine,” said Sameer Mansoor, a Yemeni doctor resident in Germany. “They will get their chance if the government starts to realize whom is more important – its own people or foreigners,” he added.

Striking a dissident note, a surgeon at a government hospital who requested to remain anonymous defended Asian nurses for their hard work and dedication. “Compared to other foreigners or even Yemenis working in hospitals, they are very hard working, giving their utmost effort to help people.” He pointed out that Yemeni nurses are inclined to be tardy, whereas Indian nurses come and leave punctually.

Unlike Yemen, Saudi Arabia has prioritized the employment of its citizens in all labor sectors which has produced a strong economy and has enhanced prosperity among its people. In Oman, even if citizens lack the knowledge or expertise for a certain job, the government offers special, free training to prepare them for the needed position. These methods of insisting on the primacy of native employment over labor immigrants has opened doors to those struggling to succeed in their own country.

Locals hope that the Yemeni government learns from other countries' experiences in building its citizenry's expertise and knowledge base and begins implementing programs that will prioritize the development of the domestic labor market. Foreigners currently hold many kinds of jobs in Yemen: teachers from Arab countries, nurses from Asia, street cleaners from Africa, doctors from many countries and even hairdressers from North Arabia. All of these positions could be filled with Yemeni workers if there was the political will for change.

The Yemeni government has taken the first step in improving the situation for Yemeni workers by terminating contracts with thousands of foreign teachers and hiring young Yemenis in their place.

Yet, the health sector remains largely the domain of immigrants even though thousands of Yemeni students annually graduate in the field, thus making work difficult to find, according to the Ministry of Education. Most Yemeni medical graduates lose hope and give-up searching for work, deciding to live their remaining lives in other professions.
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