Riyadh Health Affairs General Directorate, represented by the Private Health Sector Affairs Department, has issued 1,536 irregularities against a number of private health institutions, including medical complexes and pharmacies, for non-compliance with the Health Institution Law and staffing unlicensed cadres, in addition to the observation of expired licenses and poor hygiene and sterilization in such institutions.
The irregularities over the first five months of 1438H included the closure of private and pharmaceutical institutions (amounted to 341 institutions), while the rest of irregularities (1195 irregularities) were distributed between the committee, assigned to consider the irregularities of health institutions, and the Private Health Sector Affairs Department.
During the aforementioned period, the Private Health Sector Affairs Department has conducted a number of inspection tours, covering all private hospitals and a number of private medical complexes, private pharmacies and medical assistant service centers. All irregularities have been referred to the competent committee, so as to take the statutory penalties against violators, meanwhile ensuring that such violations will not to be replicated; in an endeavor to provide outstanding and safe health services for both citizens and residents alike.
It is worth mentioning that Riyadh Health Affairs General Directorate underscored that the inspection tours are ongoing permanently and the inspection committees, via its regular tours, will closely follow and verify of the commitment of such health institutions that have been closed until they improve their conditions and redress all irregularities observed there. Furthermore, the directorate calls all health institutions to abide by the statutory and regulatory requirements, in order to avoid penalties, including financial fines, precautionary closure and license withdrawal in case of replicating irregularities.