Sara Al Anizi is one of the first Saudi females working as an ambulance driver as the kingdom vigorously continues to seek to empower women.

“I have a very good feeling when I put my head on the pillow before sleeping while I know that I helped after Allah in saving one’s life,” said Sara, who works at the King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh.

Since early childhood, Sara has dreamed of the medical service. “When I was young, I used to keep band aids. When anyone had an injury, they would call me for assistance. This was a source of great happiness, especially as my father consolidated the idea that I was the home doctor,” she added in a report released by the Saudi Centre for Government Communication.

Before embarking on her daily work as an ambulance driver, Sara said she checks the vehicle early in the morning before hitting the road.

“I have gained experience and high confidence from driving the ambulance,” she said.

For her and other members of the medical team, the outbreak of the new coronavirus was a tough time. “We are the first to deal with the patient,” she said. “It was a big challenge. I would look behind and remember my family, children and my mother without knowing what is in store for me. But Thanks to Allah, I drove patients to the quarantine and was happy for doing this.”

In 2018, Saudi Arabia allowed women to drive for the first time in its history, ending a decades-old ban on female driving.