Among the 58 graduates of the Ben Gurion University Medical School who received their doctoral degrees Wednesday, Rania Okabi (26) stood out as the first Bedouin woman in the country to become a physician.
Dr. Okabi, who specialized in gynecology and obstetrics at the Rambam Hospital in Haifa in the past year, hopes that her achievement will set an example for all Bedouin girls.
Okabi (center) with former University President Avishai Braverman (L) and current president, Rivka Carmi (Photo: Danny Makhlis)
Okabi is one of the first graduates of a project initiated by the Beer Sheva university, aimed at encouraging high school students to enter paramedical fields, thus increasing their chances of being accepted to medical studies in university. Okabi hopes that more Bedouin women will follow in her footsteps and choose to become doctors.
Born and raised in the southern city, Okabi was moved by the ceremony and the new degree awarded to her. "This is really exciting. I feel that I have a mission, I hope to serve as a role model for a lot of Bedouin girls who wish to study professions that are unconventional in our society, such as law and engineering," she stated.
Okabi was at first reluctant to talk to the media, for fear it might jeopardize her chances of finding a husband.
"Traditional Bedouin men find it hard to accept my profession, which is extremely demanding. This work involves long hours, including nights. And still, there are many working Arab women," she explained.
"It won't we easy finding a husband," she concluded," but it won’t be impossible either."
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