His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, has commended the role assumed by the private health sector, considering it the MOH's major partner in the provision of health services. Meanwhile, he encouraged private sector workers to do their best to improve the health services provided for citizens and residents, thus advancing the Kingdom's health work, and making good use of the unstinting support granted by the Government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the health sector, in an endeavor to provide high-quality health services, and improve performance at health facilities.
For his part, the Deputy Minister of Health for Private Health Sector Affairs, Dr. Ali Al-Zawawi, affirmed that the Ministry of Health, emanating from keen interest in preserving people's health and prosperity, as well as improving the health services provided by the private health sector, has underscored monitoring and inspection as a top priority, to ensure the enforcement work codes and regulations, seeking to attain the highest quality standards. To that end, the inspection committees at the health affairs directorates have continued to conduct sudden regular inspection tours, as well as receiving citizens' complaints submitted to the MOH Portal (the Citizen's Voice Service). The Ministry will take the necessary punitive actions against all violations and non-compliances, whether such a penalty is a financial one, suspension from work, withdrawal of license, or closing the facility altogether. Some of such punitive actions have to do with health facilities, and some are taken against health practitioners. Penalties against health practitioners might mount to sending them to exile, and banning them from the returning back to the Kingdom.
In this context, Dr. Al-Zawawi mentioned that, over the period from the onset of the Hijri year (1433) till the end of Sha'ban, the number of private pharmaceutical and health institutions and facilities which have had initial and final licenses, after meeting the necessary conditions, is 14078 facilities. The number of licenses granted to new pharmaceutical and health facilities is 672 facilities, whereas the number of licenses granted to new medical and technical cadres is 2295.
Al-Zawawi went on to explain that the regular follow-up conducted over the period in question by the employees of the private sector departments at the various health affairs directorates throughout the Kingdom's regions have resulted in closing 140 pharmaceutical and health institutions and facilities based on their non-compliance with the approved codes and regulations. The number of violations and penalties taken by the private health institutions violations committees against private pharmaceutical and health facilities is 302, whereas the number of violations and penalties taken by health professions violations committees against medical and technical cadres is 351, and the number of violations and penalties taken by the Forensic Medicine Authority is 159.
As his statement drew to a close, Dr. Al-Zawawi emphasized that the Ministry, through its committees, will continue to conduct follow-up and inspection on the health services provided by the private sector, to ensure its concordance with all the demanded conditions and specifications, in a way that preserves patients' health and well-being, and ascertains the quality of health services provided for our people.