The Health Ministry found 302 violations and closed 32 health facilities during the last month, according to a senior official.

Dr. Ali Az-Zawawi, undersecretary to private sector facilities at the MoH, said on Monday, authorities also took action against 63 medical and paramedical staff for violating the Kingdom’s health regulations.

According to the official, the team regularly inspects private facilities in the region to check the quality of the services offered in ambulances, operation theaters and the professional suitability of medics and paramedics employed by these health institutions.

Major reasons to shut down these facilities were working without licenses or functioning with expired licenses, lack of trained medical staff and absence of proper facilities and equipment. The closure of some of these medical centers is temporary and they can be reopened once the irregularities are rectified, the official said.

Negligence and recklessness on the part of health providers will not be tolerated and stern action will be taken against offenders, he warned.

“We treat the private sector as strategic partners in providing health services to the people and we want them to offer quality service to the people,” he stressed.

Az-Zawawi said in addition to 98,000 medical practitioners, the various Directorates of Health Affairs in all regions oversee 130 private hospitals, 2,000 polyclinics and 7,000 pharmacies throughout the Kingdom. Recently, the ministry opened a public hot line to receive complaints about any health violations in the Kingdom.

The official website to lodge any complains is www.moh.gov.sa, while the fax number to receive the ministry’s urgent attention is 0112124196.