RIYADH: A well-known hospital here has been fined SR100,000 for failing to follow the rules pertaining to handling of suspected Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases.

The Violation Committee of Private Health Facilities in the Riyadh Health Directorate imposed the penalty after proving laxity on the part of the hospital in handling a patient, local media has reported.

"The case was not dealt with according to the standard practice and medical requirements imposed by the Health Ministry. This forced the patient to go to another hospital and a medical analysis later confirmed he was infected with coronavirus," a source was quoted as saying.

The Health Directorate has stressed that all health facilities must strictly follow the regulations and instructions and give the best in medical care to limit the spread of the disease.

Three men, including two expatriates, succumbed to MERS in the capital last Sunday, taking the death toll due to the contagion to 517 in the Kingdom.

Seven new cases of MERS were also reported in Riyadh, taking the total number of infections to 1,216 since the outbreak of the disease in the Kingdom in June 2012.

The health facilities in the capital have stepped up measures against the spread of the deadly virus. The MoH has launched an intensive awareness campaign to warn people of the hazards associated with the virus and to educate them about how transmission of the virus can be prevented.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).