The Ministry of Health has fined a Saudi national SR35,000 for practicing without a license after receiving a special directive from Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, the health minister. According to an official from the ministry, the doctor had been practicing at a private hospital in Jeddah without the legal documentation required by the Ministry of Health.
The spokesman said the minister’s directive was based on a report made by the medical inspection team, which had visited the workplace where he worked.
Besides the imposition of a fine on the doctor, the spokesman said the ministry has also partly suspended the operations of a private polyclinic in Riyadh because it was operating with expired licenses, lacked trained medical personnel and failed to meet international standards for health care facilities and equipment. The closure of the medical facility is temporary, however, and it can resume services once the irregularities are rectified, added the official.
Last week, the Ministry of Health shut down 33 health firms and pharmacies across the Kingdom for alleged irregularities during the month of Ramadan.
The minister ordered the closure of these facilities based on reports submitted by the field inspection teams of the Directorate General of Health Affairs in Riyadh.
The spokesman said the team conducts regular inspections of private facilities in the region to check the quality of services offered in ambulance services, operation theaters and the professional suitability of medics and paramedics employed by these health institutions, in an effort to ensure quality health care to patients.
“We treat the private sector as a strategic partner in providing health services to the people and we want them to offer quality services with a ‘patients first’ vision in their ventures,” the official said.
In 2012, Al-Rabeeah launched the “patients first” program, which highlighted the care expected from health providers for patients in the Kingdom.
The MoH closed down 30 medical complexes, 15 polyclinics, 29 pharmacies, 27 optical houses and five physiotherapy centers for violations last year. During this period, the ministry also collected SR3.75 million in fines from such violators, which included SR1.98 million from pharmacies.
MoH slaps fine on ‘unlicensed’ Saudi doctor
