The Ministry of Health (MOH) closed 33 health and pharmaceutical health facilities in several of regions in the Kingdom over the past month (Sha’ban); due to their non-compliance with health systems. The number of irregularities detected on private health institutions reached 91; whereas the number of pharmaceutical facilities irregularities reached 63. As for the monitored irregularities on medical or technical cadres of medical irregularities and legitimate health institutions, they reached 76 during the same period. The MOH closed 12 pharmacies for the unavailability of required cadres, offering drugs and antibiotics without prescription, expiration of licenses, or practicing the profession before the issuance of the license. 

 

In addition, the MOH closed 21 health facilities for committing a number of irregularities, most prominent of which are practicing without licenses, insufficiency of the working cadres, hiring cadres below the required level, or the expansion of specialities within the facility without having specialists working in such majors.

 

For his part, Dr. Ali bin Hussein Al-Zawawi, the Assistant Deputy Minister for Private Health Sector has valued the effective role of the health sector as a main partner in offering health services; and urged workers in this sector to exert the utmost efforts to promote the level of health services offered to citizens and residents, contributing to advancing the health progress in the Kingdom with the support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, may Allah save him to promote the level of health facilities performance.

 

He emphasized that the MOH and its different committees will continue to follow-up and supervise the offered services in the health sector; in order to assure the compliance with the required terms and specifications aiming to serve patients and visitors of those facilities and offer high-quality health services to meet their health needs.

 

It is worth mentioning that the MoH, being responsible for the performance level in the health sector, gives inspection and monitoring a high priority to insure the implementation of the rules and regulations in order to maintain safety and security of services offered to patients by constant follow-ups through inspection committees in health affairs directorates, sudden tours, citizen’s cooperation, through the MoH Portal via Citizen’s Voice service http://www.moh.gov.sa, or fax no. 0112124196. MOH takes the proper statutory punitive actions against all irregularities, be they financial fines, suspension, license withdrawal, temporary of final closure. Those sanctions are concerned with private health facilities and pharmacies, or health profession practices which may reach termination. That gives an actual indication that the MoH and its health affairs directorates are very serious with inspecting and addressing any deficiencies or failures in the offered health services in the private health sector.