Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Most Ethiopian women treated at Al-Amal ‘are ill’

Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The director of Al-Amal psychiatric hospital in Riyadh said about 75 percent of Ethiopian women brought to the hospital suffer from mental illnesses or severe anger issues.

"We have noted that their behavior was
abnormal," Dr. Mohammed Al-Qahtani told Al-Sharq newspaper.

The director, however, said only three Ethiopian women were confined to the hospital among 72 Saudis and one Iraqi.



He said most of the Ethiopian women who came to the hospital were brought by police.

He said: “After conducting medical examinations on them, we discovered that they were not suffering from any mental illnesses.

“It is obvious to us that the police have arrested and brought them to us just for walking on the streets.”

Al-Qahtani complained about a lack of cooperation by the center in charge of housemaid affairs in Riyadh.

He said: “There are patients who do not need to remain in the hospital for more than a day or two.

“We usually cannot contact anybody to receive them, either their employers or the housemaids center.”

The director said in such cases the hospital usually refers to the case to the respective embassy, which willingly accepts the discharged patients.

“The center immediately refuses to cooperate with us when it finds out that the woman discharged from the hospital is an Ethiopian national.” he said.

He said the center refuses to collaborate with the hospital, despite directives from the Riyadh governorate and police to do so.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa

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