Police Hospital appeals, Ministry of Interior asleepDoctor laments poor medical system [Archives:2004/787/Health]

Mohammed bin Sallam
Dr. Roza mukrid al-Aghbari is internal and cardiac diseases; she got her M.S. degree in 1994. She joined the Public Police Hospital in the beginning of 1995. Ministry of Interior granted her the first lieutenant rank breaking the laws and regulations the state she should have been given a higher rank because sod her higher degree.
She has been in service for the past years without having any promotion opposing the military service law. Dr. Roza is just on a salary YR 22.000 including the bonuses and other incentives. She doesn't receive any housing and others allowances that are given to most of her partners; she is deprived of them all.
Dr. Roza is the only doctor who has this specialization in the frame of ministry of interior. In addition, she has no, privileges, not merely because she is a woman but she hasn't relatives or supporters to support her in front of the ministry leadership. Which deny the woman's rights to be as equal as a man even though she is distinguished and more active.
Dr. Roza presented many complaints to the ministry of interior hoping to get her situation improved and her rights to be received in proportion with her qualifications since joining the ministry in 1995. All the complaints were in vain. Though we have systems and laws organizing attaining military promotions within specific periods, this thing is not applicable to Dr. Roza as other officers of the ministry of interior who get regular promotions following the statements of laws.
When we asking her about the reasons and motives that made her marginalized and prevent her to have her rights, she answered:
It is logical to say that we are in the era of computer and technology; it is supposed to attain promotions automatically according to the service period and qualifications. It is not possible for a doctor, like me, to leave my work for months in order to go to the ministry asking for my rights and promotions. Why do we have administrative systems in the ministry then? Isn't it of their duties to organize work and give rights?
Concerning their rejection of giving all my rights as any employee in the ministry, I didn't find what convince and explain the reasons. Many people suffer from this problem. Besides the absence of institutional organization for the administrative work in the ministry, the cause of this thing is the prevailing corruption that the administrative establishments and workers are drowning in.
Dr. Roza presented a complaint to the office the previous minister major. It was transferred to the legal affairs department; instead of taking her rights.
Dr. Roza was compelled to leave her work in the Hospital in March 30. 2004. she was informed of losing all her rights including the salary. She went again to the minister major general Rashad al-Aleemi who ignored this matter. And about the kind treatment she received in the hospital and the ministry. She said: I'm treated in an insulting way, as to be prevented from entering the hospital or being sacked in front of patients, being intended to quit my salary without reasons and the reports sent by the Hospital to the ministry were wrong. Though I'm the head of the department of internal and cardiac diseases and women, the hospital deals with me as if I'm a new unspecialized graduate, where in the fact there isn't any department known like that in the Hospital at all.
” Iam not the only one who receive harassments, but there are many of the M.S. and Ph.D. holders who face the same problem.61 doctors presented a group complaint of the director for insulting and applying styles of racial discrimination and regionalism but their attempts were futile. Many competent doctors left the hospital. Some went abroad, or worked in other public and private hospitals in spite of their having military ranks.
“We shouldn't forget that a number of them were attacked inside the hospital while the working hours, without reasons but criticizing the miserable condition of the hospital, they request reforming it and improving the medical services offered to patients. The hospital administration refuses to adhere to the principles of this profession,” she added.
Dr. Roza said that she has some files to include documents assigned by dozens of doctors showing the level of the deteriorated medical services in the ministry of interior. This condition is basically ascribed to the present director of the hospital who doesn't belong to medicine; he a police officer. He was working as a guard at the gate of al-Sab'een Hospital for Motherhood and Childhood and then deputy director of the Police Hospital from 95-97 to become its director up to now.”
When asking her about the treatment women in general receive by the members of the ministry of interior, she explained: ” The women's work in the ministry of interior indicates the high level woman reached in her understanding of the responsibility towards the society in participating in the medical or police sector. The patients who are members of the ministry staff deal with woman in a respectable manner. Likewise, many of the ministry leaders who frequently visit the hospital for their families medical care are so respectful in treating us.”
And about the medical services offered by the hospital to the ministry of interior and their families and whether they are free or not. Dr. Roza said: “The medical care is supposed to be entirely free, but what happens in reality is different. The administration compels the patients specially who are in need for carrying out a surgery to pay money without giving them receipts.”
When comparing the Police Hospital to the Military Hospital belonging to the ministry of defense. Dr. Roza said: “there is no chance to compare between the two hospitals. It is unfair to run a comparison. The military Hospital has a history telling the proper scientific bases on which it was established. It offers medical services with a leadership that have historical qualified experience reaching 30 years, in addition to the professional principles and morals the hospital leaders are aware of. The Police Hospital is in need for all these features for it hasn't the medical services that are scientifically, professionally and practically offered in an acceptable manner. The hospital is under the undersecretary of the ministry for financial and administrative affairs though there's a general director for supply and he has an assistant for the medical affairs (who is also have no relative or previous practice with this work) but he's marginalized and he has no practical role to play. The doctor talked sadly about the issues of the specialized doctors having either M.S. and Ph.D. who were sacked from the Police Hospital. And in the same time getting place to the director's child (15years old) to be one of the medical staff.
“Whatever the reasons claimed by the hospital's administration, this issue proves the administrative failure in realizing the necessity of having a specialized staff to serve the patients. The administration is failed to solve the problem of those doctors and to keep them. Who remains of the staff is treated in an uncivilized manner though they have a respectable scientific competence. The result of that is compelled to sign contracts with other doctors who are not as competent as the doctors of the Police Hospital would be subjected to the inhumane treatments and harassments while the minister and the ministry leaders hear and see.
The last thing to be said by Dr, Roza is: “We are in a pressing need to who can understand our situation first as human beings and to be treated as humanly as doctors offering human services and devoting all the efforts for a better care for the core of families and society, policemen. It is no surprise to know that we are convinced that the ministry is satisfied with the current status and it doesn't care and I mean specifically the sector of financial and administrative affairs.
We urgently need a competent administrative organizing the medicals services like the military Hospital. I don't think that will be difficult for the ministry leaders. We demand to have at least a 40 per cent allowances especially for those who work in the medical labs and the promotions should be in proportions to the experience and the scientific ranks. We need to end the current treatments based on favoritism and regionalism. We hope our message to be heard and replied to by the human rights and freedoms organizations and whom it may concern in Yemen or Abroad.
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