During the session of Recognizing and Supporting Women in IT for Health in the Middle East, a group of experts discussed the need for more international communities and networks as well as educational and support tools in order to empower women. Experts were Dr. Taghreed Justinia, CIO, Vice President of IT / IS King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University of Health Sciences; Hana Ibrahim Abu Sharib, Senior Corporate Nursing Informatics Officer for Nursing and Allied Health, United Arab Emirates; Hanan Al-Enazi, Director of Change Management and Knowledge Management, National Center for Health Information, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and Dr. Noha Khater, CEO and Co-Founder of Almouneer Medical Services, Egypt. Although women make up a large proportion of the healthcare workforce, they are still underrepresented in the healthcare informatics industry and in managerial positions, despite their significant contribution. Raising awareness of gender issues, providing professional resources, and greater recognition to female leaders who make significant contributions is crucial to acknowledge.
EMEA's annual survey of women in healthcare was aptly launched on International Women's Day, 2021 to identify the challenges women face in the industry. Al-Enazi reported on the main problems in the work area and highlighted some important findings, namely, lower salary, exclusion from decision-making, lower chance of advancement, higher workload and equal treatment in the workplace. Although these findings covered the EMEA region but all of these issues apply to all women around the world. When analyzing gender-based discrimination, the results also show that it has increased slightly by 3% compared to the previous year. Decision-making, increased workload and fewer opportunities to speak in public. In contrast, Al-Enazi noted, the third finding was a remarkable 20% increase in the number of working women who feel valued for their contribution to the health information technology industry.
Dr. Justinia highlighted the problems of Saudi women through a local survey. One of them is the time it takes to find a job after graduation and that was a problem. The problems faced by women here are a lack of preparation in the facility, especially in jobs that women have only recently started or have not done before. Regarding Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 Agenda for a Vibrant Society, a Prosperous Economy, and an Ambitious Nation, Dr. Justinia claimed to have included all Saudi women. The basic goal is to develop women’s talents. To do that, we all have to invest in their production capacities and strengthen their future so that they can be members of society and contribute to the economy wisely.
