A private hospital in Madinah was shut down by the General Directorate of Health Affairs for serious violation of hygiene regulations.

“A government health care inspection team discovered serious hygiene-related violations at the hospital and 72 of its medical and paramedical staff failed to produce valid professional licenses,” Abdullah Al-Tayifi, director of Health Affairs, told Saudi Press Agency yesterday.

The hospital was in dangerous violation of other regulations including the absence of an emergency isolation ward, an insufficient supply of emergency medicine and inadequate equipment in its dental laboratory.

Al-Tayifi said: “Besides unnatural accumulation of medical waste in the laboratory, the inspectors discovered the hospital did not have a specialist on laboratory matters and patient registrations were incomplete.”

The hospital administration did not maintain an adequate database register for expatriate workers relating to the issuance or renewal of iqamas.

The hospital was fined SR 280,000 and will remain closed until it complies with Health Ministry regulations.

Al-Tayefi said his department and inspectors are closely monitoring the activities of hospitals and health care facilities and his staff is committed to taking strict measures against any medical organization that does not comply with Ministry regulations.