JEDDAH: A committee from the Ministry of Health has closed down an illegal establishment specializing in the collection of stem cells from newborn babies in Jeddah.
“The Summary Closure Committee under the Health Affairs Department has stopped the operations of a private health establishment that collected stem cells from the umbilical cords of newborns and sent them abroad, promising that the cells would be returned to them to meet possible future needs. The establishment offered the service at a fee,” Mahmoud Abdul Jawad, assistant director of the Health Affairs Department in Jeddah, told Arab News yesterday.
“The committee composed of Khadran Al-Harithy, Dr. Muhammad Sultan, Muhammad Al-Johani and Abdul Basit Al-Mishdaq discovered on an inspection tour that the establishment offered the stem cell service without the knowledge of the Ministry of Health, which is the only competent authority to license such operations,” Abdul Jawad said.
The official warned members of the public not to be deceived by illegal health establishments that mislead people into believing that chronic diseases can be cured with the help of new medical methods involving embryonic stem cells.
“At the same time the ministry will make an appropriate decision on stem cells after studying the scientific, legal and ethical aspects of the issue,” the official said.
He added that the potential of stem cells was a hotly debated subject around the world and that no definitive or clear proof had come up so far to establish its alleged therapeutic value.
Director of the Health Department in Jeddah, Dr. Sami Badawood, emphasized the role played by the Summary Closure Committee in stopping violations of health regulations.
“My department strives to implement deterrent penal measures against any violation of regulations governing health facilities,” he said.