Asking for a female doctor in Riyadh took 4 visits and a translator

I moved to Riyadh for work last year and needed a checkup. Every clinic I called kept routing me to male doctors, even for basic stuff. I thought it was a phone mixup at first. After 3 failed appointments where I walked out, I finally got a local coworker to explain the cultural rules to me. She said I had to specifically request a female physician in writing, and even then some places don't have one. It took 2 weeks and 4 visits to get seen properly. Has anyone else hit this wall in conservative countries? How do you handle it without being rude?

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1 Comment

evan_dixon6729d ago

Funny how common sense gets buried under all that paperwork everywhere.