Saudi Govt hires Woman in MOH due to Reforms

Saudi Arabia’s government has appointed a woman to a top job in its Ministry of Health in the latest sign of creeping reform in the ultra-conservative Gulf kingdom.

According to a report in Arab News, Muneera bint Hamdan Al-Osaimi was one of seven new assistant undersecretaries recruited to the ministry as part of a wider reshuffle this week.

Health ministry spokesman Dr Khalid Al-Mirghalani told the newspaper that this is the first time a female has held such a portfolio and was evidence of his department’s eagerness to encourage women into top public sector jobs.

Saudi Arabia, the most populous nation in the GCC, is one of the few countries in the world where strict gender segregation is still largely enforced.