RIYADH, 15 January 2007 — A total ban on doctors who are employed in government hospitals also having private practice is to come into effect on Jan. 20. Violators will face strict punishments, including termination of contract and forfeiture of service benefits. The decision was made at a meeting chaired by Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie on Saturday.
“According to the new rule, companies who hire government doctors for part-time or full-time jobs will face a maximum penalty of SR100,000 for each doctor and the doctors concerned will face a minimum fine of SR10,000,” Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Khaled Al-Mirghalani told Arab News yesterday.
He said there would be strict enforcement of the rule beginning with the new Hijrah year which starts on Jan. 20. He emphasized that the rule would apply to both Saudi and non-Saudi doctors.
Mirghalani explained the new measure was being imposed in the interest of patients at government hospitals. He added that government doctors who have private practice tend to neglect their regular work and concentrate more on their part-time practice.
There are some 2,000 primary health care centers and 200 hospitals run by the government. “The new rule will help the doctors practice easily in the clinics or hospitals they are contracted to and will allow the owners of private clinics to hire personnel legally for their establishments,” said Mirghalani.
He said doctors who violated the new rule would face a minimum fine of SR10,000 to be deducted from their salaries and even termination of job contracts with the Ministry of Health. “The doctors will run the risk of losing their bonuses and other entitlements for their services in the Kingdom,” he added.
Dr. Ali Al-Zawawi, director general of Polyclinics and Pharmacies Licenses Department, said that the ministry would take a written agreement from private medical establishments pledging not to employ government doctors as either full-time or part-time staff.
Beginning with the new Islamic year, he said, his department would send a team to check whether any authorized health personnel were working in private medical clinics and pharmacies.
He indicated that private practice among government doctors was common in major cities, such as Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah.
In a statement to the press, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh said it was forbidden for doctors in the public sector to work in other places. He said that a large number of patients who go to government hospitals would greatly benefit from this new rule. “This will provide a good opportunity for doctors working in government establishments to carry out their duties with ease,” he added.
