The Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced the closure of a private hospital in the north of Riyadh, as a precautionary measure; due to many irregularities as well as noncompliance with regulations. The emergency section and outpatient clinics at this hospital had been earlier closed and not allowed to receive any new cases, and the coordination will be carried out to transfer the inpatients to other hospitals.
The MOH clarified that the closure was due to the irregularities that have detected on the hospital by the field inspection teams of the Private Sector Department at Riyadh Health Affairs General Directorate. These irregularities included the non-renewal of the hospital’s license, the failure to obtain license from the Civil Defense on safety matters, and the improper arrangement concerning the medical waste, the matter violating the infection control standards, aside from hiring medical cadres to work without a license.
The Ministry stated that the hospital had been given three warnings at different times, but without any response or compliance with regulations, and accordingly a precautionary closure was issued against the hospital, until its situation is redressed.
It is worth mentioning that the decision comes within the framework of the MOH’s keenness to maintain the patients’ health and safety and improve the health services provided to them by the private health sector, pursuant to articles of the Private Health Institutions Law, particularly article (23) which stipulates: “As per a decision form the committees referred to in article (25), it is permitted, as a precautionary measure, to suspend any violating institution if there are strong evidences and proofs of the irregularities, based on the initial investigation. Upon proven guilty, the sanction may include withdrawal of the license or closure of the health institution”.
Within the same vein, the (MOH) has underscored that it will not tolerate any errors affecting the citizens and residents' health and safety, and it will continue applying the heaviest penalties and statutory procedures towards any health institutions not committed to the required quality measures. This is in order to oblige these institutions to improve their situations and redress all the irregularities, in line with the statutory procedures.
Furthermore, the MOH has called upon the private health sector, as a strategic partner in the health development, to abide by the conventional scientific standards of quality; in an endeavor to provide the beneficiaries with the high quality health services. It also called upon citizens to report their complaints via the 937-Service.