The Ministry of Health imposed a SR100,000 fine on a medical warehouse in Jeddah and a SR50,000 fine on a pharmacy in Riyadh for violating the Kingdom’s health regulations.
According to a senior MoH official, the medical warehouse was fined because it was operating without a license and because it was located in a residential area, hampering the daily life of residents.
The pharmacy was shut down for 60 days for operating without renewing its license on time.
A dental clinic in Hofuf in the Al-Hasa district was also fined for running the facility without qualified dentists.
Ali Az-Zawawi, undersecretary of private sector facilities at the ministry, said that the Ministry of Health shut down 34 health firms and 11 pharmacies across the Kingdom for irregularities during the last two months.
“The minister has ordered the closure of these facilities based on reports submitted by the field inspection team of the Directorate General of Health Affairs in these regions,” the official said.
The inspection team found 172 irregularities in health companies, 156 in pharmacies and 130 among medical and technical personnel, which resulted in their closure.
Az-Zawawi said some operated without licenses or expired licenses and, while some others lacked trained medical staff and facilities. The closure of some of these medical facilities is temporary and they can be reopened once the irregularities are rectified, he added.
Az-Zawawi said the team conducts regular inspection of private facilities in the region to ensure the quality of services offered in ambulances and operation theaters and to assess the professional suitability of medics and paramedics employed by these institutions.
The official warned that negligence and recklessness on the part of health providers will not be tolerated by the government and that stern action will be taken against such violators based on the seriousness of the violations.
“We treat the private sector as strategic partners in providing health services to the public and we want them to offer quality services with a patients-first vision in their ventures,” the official said.
In 2012, Minister of Health Sr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah launched the “Patient First” program, which underlined the ministry’s approach in ensuring that health care providers in the Kingdom offer high-quality services to patients.
Drug warehouse, pharmacy fined for violations
