JEDDAH: The Health Affairs Department in Makkah province is currently striving to stamp out corruption, red tape and absenteeism in its offices, Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper reported yesterday.

“Efforts are under way to end the red tape by simplifying the bureaucratic formalities though we realize that it could not be achieved overnight. We aim to make considerable improvement by the end of the current year,” Khaled Zafar, director general of Health Affairs Department in Makkah province said while addressing a gathering of pharmacy owners at the headquarters of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) on Tuesday.

“While we have set the end of the year as the deadline to see a qualitative change in performance, the results of our efforts to reform the department are expected to appear before the end of the first quarter. All the required steps would be taken in the first quarter itself,” Zafar said.

The official added that lack of coordination in operations by different sections and officials is another problem to be tackled.

As a step to end the bureaucratic delay the department is considering a single official doing the processing of a file that is handled by 10 different officials at present.

This move was welcomed by most participants in the meeting. A pharmacist from Taif said a license for his pharmacy had to be approved by the ministries of Health, Commerce and Labor, local chambers, the local Civil Defense, the Passport Department, insurance regulators and the department in charge of monitoring Saudization quotas.

The director general also made it clear that the regulations did not ban women working in pharmacies, particularly to serve women customers. But women should have a convenient schedule, he added.

Yusuf Al-Harithy, chairman of the Pharmacy Committee at JCCI, said a special committee has been constituted to deal with the problems faced by the pharmacy sector in the province. This committee will strive to integrate the formalities related to licensing and operations of pharmacies in coordination with related government departments, Al-Harithy said.

The participants also stressed the need to encourage Saudi pharmacists to compete with their counterparts from other countries.