The Ministry of Health has imposed a SR195,000 fine on four health facilities and one physician for health violations in Jeddah.

According to a Health Ministry spokesman, the owner of a private hospital was fined SR55,000 due to irregularities in the facility’s systems, pharmaceuticals and its method of implementing health regulations.

Some of the workers at the hospital were found not registered with regional health departments, the spokesman said.

Another owner of a private hospital was fined SR25,000 for running his pharmacy without licensed personnel and for not employing full-time workers.

The ministry also imposed a SR80,000 fine on another pharmacy for failure to comply with hygiene standards. The spokesman said the pharmacy did not have a fully equipped refrigerator to store medicines and drugs. “It was also so untidy that customers were discouraged from even entering it,” he said.

The doctor was fined SR15,000 and another pharmacy SR20,000 for health violations.

The spokesman said the penalties are imposed based on recommendation made by an inspection team.

He added that the inspection team pays regular visits to private facilities in the region to ensure quality service. The facilities include ambulances and operation theaters and the inspectors check the professional suitability of medics and paramedics employed in these health institutions to ensure that quality health services are provided to patients.

The official said that clinic closures would be temporary and that facilities could be reopened once violations are resolved since the orders were made subsequent to reports submitted by the inspection team.

“We treat the private sector as a strategic partner in providing health services. We want them to offer quality services with a patients-first approach in their ventures,” the official said.

In 2012, Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah launched a “patients first” program to indicate the priority given to patients in the Kingdom.

The Ministry of Health closed down 30 medical complexes, 15 polyclinics, 29 pharmacies, 27 optical houses and five physiotherapy centers for violating government rules last year alone.

The ministry collected SR3.7 million in fines from violators during that period. Of this amount, SR2 million was paid by pharmacies.