DUBAI: Kuwait women are hopeful that as they are being allowed to work as paramedics in the country the overall status of women in the small Gulf country will improve. Kuwait saw its first female unit graduate on Saturday. "This is a momentous day for all Kuwaitis, women and men, because it shows that we can improve as a country," 21-year-old university student Isra told Bikyanews.com. She hopes to follow in the women's footsteps and be a paramedic herself. "I am just happy that right now we don't have to fight for better lives in this country. Still a long way to go, but it's a start," she said. Abdulaziz Bou Hamyed, a paramedic official, told Al Arabiya this week that ever since the department's establishment in 1988, its staff members have been men. Hamyed said it was important to raise society's awareness that females now play a role in the department. "There are three phases. The first one is raising awareness in society. The second one is dealing with the injured via phone calls. The third one is dispatching female members to the field," he added. The department's call center receives daily calls on pregnancy cases, home accidents in which children or old people are injured and car accidents. A female medic told Al Arabiya that one of the medic's most important characteristics is patience. "A medic must first be patient because he/ she may be dealing with a neurological or psychological case. So patience comes first," Abdullah said. Generally, women in Kuwait enjoy more comprehensive labor rights than their Gulf counterparts. In 2010, the government of Kuwait allowed women to work night shifts at hotels, restaurants, pharmacies, press offices, banks and various other businesses. BN
