Yemeni nurses say…We deserve better than that [Archives:2003/645/Health]

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June 26 2003

Ismail Al-Ghabiri
Most of Arab countries, if it is not all, greatly pay attention to woman and glorify her status providing her with a good atmosphere to participate in the field of work. However, the reality indicators point out that the participation of the women is still slight and slow-paced. Moreover, women work is still in limited fields. In spite of the Arab woman engaging in many fields, her work still does not achieve the targeted goals.
Although the Yemeni woman has entered the all the private and public sectors since seventies, she still faces many obstacles.
Nursing is considered one of the most common professions that Yemeni woman should practice. However, the Yemeni society undervalues Yemeni nurse and the few number of Yemeni girls that join this profession is clear evidence.
Through a research that is implemented on three private and public of Sana'a hospitals indicate that degrading look represents in facing many impediments such as:
-Obstacles in the place of work or
-Administrative obstacles.
The Yemeni nurse is mistreated by her counterparts.
The Yemeni nurse also faces the preference for foreign cadre in which the discrimination between the Yemeni nurse and the foreign sounds apparent and the blind trust in the foreign qualifications and capabilities when the Yemeni nurse qualifications are mistrusted.
The Yemeni nurse is known to be slow and ignorant and when she complains to the administration, she is punished by subtract her salary instead of understand her problem and difficulties that stand barriers to do her work properly such as training and rehabilitation.
The Yemeni nurse also exposed to her colleges' harassment that consequently not encourages her to do her duty well.
Patients and their companies also irritate the Yemeni nurse. They have doubt in the Yemeni performance even she is nice and behave kindly. On contrary if the foreign nurse treats them badly and harshly, they insist on her services and do not complain.
The society with its traditions and norms is still incapable to comprehend woman work especially in some fields that have special nature as nursing that requires being late as well as the special uniform of the nurses that is completely different from Yemeni society traditions.
The crystallized look at nurse' uniform and her work and her contact with others is not easy to be changed.
The media also have played a role in showing a typical and bad image about the nursing as it is seen on TV films as marginalized role.
The Yemeni nurse is facing the inferiority look inside and outside the hospitals and she is innocent.
Her role vanishes in front of the foreign nurse and may be the Yemeni nurse is equal-qualified to the foreign nurse or sometimes she is better than the foreign. However the typical image in the Yemeni society mind is that the foreign whatever his/her position and whatever his/her nationality is the best without thinking that this is thoroughly a bad idea and if the Yemeni cadre is trained and rehabilitated will be the best.
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