Since I’m fasting these days to compensate for the week I spent in Jeddah last Ramadhan, I was still up at the early hours of the day and decided to take a quick tour on the headlines before going to sleep. This item in Arab News was particularly of interest to me:

More Saudi Pharmacists Needed

Saudi Arabia requires more than 100,000 pharmacy graduates to replace the foreign workers employed in hospitals and other establishments in both the private and government sectors, according to an expert in the field of pharmacy and medical education in the Kingdom.

Being a pharmacy student, my interest in this item should not be surprising. Sure, knowing there is a huge demand for pharmacists should be assuring and make me feel comfortable about my future, but truth is, reading this has left me confused rather than assured.

Why confused, you might ask? The answer is: because my brother has graduated with a degree in pharmacy since the beginning of this year, yet he still can’t find a job. Despite the fact that he has had his degree from a college managed by the Ministry of Health, he could not find a job in their hospitals or in any of the private hospitals where he went seeking employment.

I really can’t see where the real problem lies here. If there is this huge demand on pharmacists in the country, how come my brother and a large number of his colleagues are still sitting frustrated in their homes after knocking every door only to return disappointed? Today, my brother is going to KFU to apply for a job there after he read in the newspaper that they were seeking employees for a few health-related positions. Will he get the job? Considering the limited seats and the competition his chance might seem slim, but I want to wish him all the best. Good luck Hasan.