According to Al-Jouf Health Affairs, through its inspection visits, 27 violations (incurring fines of SR 335,000) have been recorded against the private health sector, pharmacies and optical shops over the past year. “These violations feature lack of proper equipment, illegal, expired or unregistered medicines, as well as hiring illegal workers,” added Al-Jouf Health Affairs.
It is noted that the Ministry of Health (MOH) closed 890 private health institutions, including 7 hospitals, 508 complexes and 253 other health institutions, in addition to 110 pharmacies last year. Also, 4,086 violations were referred to the Medical Violations Committee by the Private Health Sector Departments across regions and governorates. In the same vein, the Medical Violations Committee issued 1,667 decisions. Besides, 1,006 violations were referred to the Committee for Violations of the Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions by the Private Health Sector Department. Likewise, 21,527 field tours have been conducted across all regions and governorates.
It is worth mentioning that MOH has recently established the “Compliance Enhancement Agency” to follow-up compliance with professional rules, regulations and ethics in both private and public sectors. This decision falls within the MOH’s developmental initiatives and scheduled campaigns to control and verify the health sector’s compliance.