Saudia Arabia dentist wants female patients to come with male guardians

This note was found posted at the door of a dentist’s clinic in Saudi Arabia:

“Dear female patient, in order to avoid embarrassment: Please make sure to have a male guardian with you when you come in for a checkup,”

The controversial note, written by an anonymous doctor asks all female patients to come only in the presence of male guardians and reads as: “Dear female patient, in order to avoid embarrassment: Please make sure to have a male guardian with you when you come in for a checkup,”

The seemingly sexist image has been circulating online for quite a few days now and has sparked up debates on Twitter regarding the concept of “Male Guardianship” which is an already sensitive issue in the country.

There was no unanimity regarding the matter since many believed the doctor was only adhering to a rule that met Shariah law parameters whereas others deemed his behaviour discriminatory since there is no actual law in the kingdom that requires a male guardian to be present when a woman goes for a checkup.

Some tweeters supported the doctor;

“May God bless you and I hope all doctors follow in your footsteps.”

And some thought it was a matter of personal choice;

“He’s free to make this decision, no-one can force him to do something he doesn’t want to do. I know female doctors who refuse to treat male patients. It’s their most basic of rights to decide that.”

Others called the act out with pure anger and a good amount of logic;

“I am coming in to get a checkup, certainly not visiting a doctor for fun. What if my male guardian is busy, what do I do then?”

Most health clinics in Saudi Arabia do hire female nurses to help during checkups in case female patients feel uncomfortable, which was this person’s argument as well;

“It’s his duty as a doctor to treat patients no matter what. I think there are always female nurses to assist doctors for specific cases, he could even hire a female nurse and ask her to stay in the room if he’s so uncomfortable. But to force women to bring in a male guardian for checkups is outrageous. What if their guardians can’t come? What if the woman is using a taxi, or has other personal reasons that make it difficult for her to ask a guardian to come in with her. What does she do then? Just go back home?!”

Whether this case is somehow against the law of the Kingdom or whether it is just a citizen defending his right to freedom regarding his profession is yet to be seen.

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