ABHA, 1 August 2004 — Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie has directed all health administration offices in the country to comply with a new mechanism to stop doctors from faking medical reports, Al-Watan reported. The move came after the ministry discovered many cases of private hospitals issuing fake medical reports for government employees.
The new procedure is for a non-Arabic speaking doctor to write a medical report in English who then signs and authenticates it with his personal seal. An Arabic speaking doctor, to limit the chances of any mistakes, will then translate the report.
Health administration sources told Al-Watan that any medical report from private or government hospitals without a ministry check would not be approved. The medical report would be given to special committees that would investigate the authenticity of the report before authorizing it.
The sources added that a black list would be compiled of hospitals that issue fake reports.
