MADINAH, 2 July — The Minister of Health, Osama Shubukshi, directed the Medical Violations Committee to double penalties approved by the committee on anestisiest who works for a private eye clinic in Taif. The doctor, licensed for acupuncture, treated patients suffering from diabetes and hypertension. The minister of health, however, recommended that the committee reconsider the stipulated penalty of SR3,000 to be borne by the doctor and SR5,000 by the clinic’s owner. Abdullah Al-Mutairy, general supervisor of monitoring and evaluation at the ministry, confirmed to Al-Eqtisadiyah that the minister’s directive was not limited to the cash penalty but to close the clinic for sixty days and a pledge to be signed by the owner that such violations would not be repeated. The clinic is owned by a Saudi doctor who is aware of the prevailing regulations. Al-Mutairy also said that repetition of violations could lead to a permanent closure of the clinic’s operations.