The Health Affairs Department in Jeddah shut down 19 health facilities in the past six months.

Sami Badawood, director of health affairs in the region, accepted the recommendations made by an inspection committee of the Department of Medical Licenses in Jeddah for the temporary closure of the facilities, which include medical centers and private clinics, for violations.

The cases of the facilities were referred to a special committee that looks into medical violations, and fines were imposed according to the nature of violation.

The health director demanded that supervisory committees at the Medical Licenses Department be not lenient with violators.

“My department is doing the utmost to prevent any medical violation no matter how small,” said Badawood. Tareq Banjar, director of the Medical Licenses Department at the Jeddah Health Affairs Directorate and committee supervisor, said the inspection committee spotted numerous irregularities during inspection tours of hospitals and private medical centers.

Violations include a shortage in the number of doctors and technicians and poor sterilization of equipment, in addition to the absence of signed agreements with specialized bodies for dumping medical waste.

Violations also involved the use of unsuitable buildings.

Some facilities were found to provide services unrelated to the medical field, such as hairdressing.