His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, has approved a number of financial punitive actions against some owners of private pharmacies and health professionals working at private health institutions; due to non-compliance with the regulations of the Ministry of Health (MOH). Dr. Al-Rabeeah has approved the decisions of the Private Health Institutions’ Violations Consideration Committee at Jeddah and Taif Health Affairs General Directorates, fining two physicians working in two private clinics a sum of SR 50.000 (SR 25.000 each).
The first decision has been issued by the above-mentioned committee in Jeddah against a consultant in psychiatry; due to finding medicines in the clinic, without the original documents of their licensing, as well as registering the patients’ names and their files without full data about them.
With regard to the second decision, it has been issued by the aforementioned committee in Taif against another physician; due to a number of violations, including the presence of an endoscopy and x-rays room in his clinic without license, and disposing syringes improperly, the matter violating the infection control protocol, aside from hiring a nurse to work at the clinic without a license.
Within the same vein, Dr. Al-Rabeeah has approved the decisions of the Private Health Institutions’ Violations Consideration Committee in Riyadh, Tabuk and Taif regions, fining the owners of three pharmacies a total of SR 40.000.
The aforementioned committee in Riyadh fined the owner of a pharmacy SR 20.000; due to allowing a pharmacist to work without a valid license. While the decision fining the owner of a pharmacy in Tabuk SR 50.000; for recruiting a pharmacist, without obtaining the statutory license by the Ministry of Health, as well being not under the pharmacy’s guarantee. Furthermore, the above-mentioned committee in Taif fined the owner of a pharmacy SR 15.000; due to the existence of pharmaceutical products, which are unregistered and unpriced by the Ministry of Health.
Over and above, Dr. Al-Rabeeah has approved the decision of the Health Profession Practice’s Violations Consideration Committee at the Eastern Region Health Affairs General Department, fining a lab specialist working at a private polyclinic SR 3.000; due to the existence of some expired medical solutions, in addition the lack of a lab technician at the lab of the polyclinic.
The MOH has emphasized that it would take all the statutory procedures, including the cautionary closure, towards any health institution that does not comply with the required quality standards of health services; in an endeavor to oblige such institutions to improve their conditions and redress all irregularities observed there, pursuant to the statutory procedures.