The Ministry of Health (MOH) has responded to a citizen’s complaint and took the statutory procedures against a well-known medical complex in the north of Riyadh; due to violating the MOH regulation and disregarding its instructions preventing any health facilities from receiving any fees from the patient in return for opening a medical file.
This was pointed out by the Director of the Private Health Sector Affairs at Riyadh Health Affairs General Directorate, Dr. Ahmad AL-‘Eisa, noting that the Directorate has responded to the complaint instantly, and ordered its competent inspection teams to take over the issue. After that, they reported the case and referred it to the Private Health Institutions' Violations Consideration Committee, to take the statutory sanctions against this complex.
Within the same vein, Dr. AL-Eisa highlighted that MOH will not tolerate those proven to be violating or disregarding the MOH regulations and instructions, on whom the maximum penalties shall be imposed, for the interest of the patient. He further underlined that the Ministry had issued earlier this week strict instructions preventing any private health institutions from receiving any fees from the patient in return for opening a medical file or even for any administrative procedures. In this regard, the Minister of Health has issued a circular to all Health Affairs General Directorates all over the Kingdom’s regions and directorates, giving orders to all the private medical facilities not to impose any fees on the patient in return for any administrative procedures, given that the MOH will impose the maximum statutory sanctions against the violators at any private health institutions..
For his part, the Assistant Deputy Minister for Private Health Sector Affairs, Dr. Ali Al-Zawawi, has announced that the Ministry has received via “the Citizen’s Voice Service”, the Hotline 937, and the fax dedicated for the citizens’ complaints, a number of citizens' observations and complaints on some private health institutions in some of the Kingdom’s regions, as those institutions received fees from patients in return for opening medical files. Dr. Al-Zawawi confirmed that all these complaints have been referred to the competent authorities to impose the maximum statutory sanctions against the violators.
Finally, Dr. Al-Zawawi has urged all citizens and residents to report any complaints in this regard via the hotline (937) or the fax (011/2124196), or through the Citizen's Voice Service on the MOH Portal:
www.moh.gov.sa.