The Ministry of Health (MoH) intensified its regulatory efforts during April 2026 through field inspection visits covering more than 1,500 healthcare facilities across the Kingdom, as part of its ongoing commitment to enhancing patient safety and ensuring the quality of healthcare services.
The inspections resulted in the detection of 130 violations and the closure of five non-compliant healthcare facilities in Riyadh, Madinah, and Aseer. The compliance rate exceeded 91%, reflecting the effectiveness of regulatory oversight and the high level of compliance across the healthcare sector, in line with the objectives of the Health Sector Transformation Program under
Saudi Vision 2030 to improve healthcare quality and enhance patient safety.
The Ministry explained that these inspections are part of a year-round regulatory and awareness program focusing on areas most closely related to patient safety, including hair transplantation services and cosmetic laser procedures. Inspection teams verified the legal licensing of healthcare practitioners and facilities, compliance with infection prevention and control standards, the safety of medical procedures, practitioners’ clinical privileges, the safety and routine maintenance of laser devices, and the provision of services within licensed facilities by licensed and classified healthcare practitioners.
The inspections identified several violations, including practicing without a license, exceeding approved clinical privileges, performing hair transplantation procedures without authorization or by nursing staff without the supervision of specialist physicians, as well as deficiencies related to infection prevention and control, and shortages of essential medicines and medical equipment.
MoH confirmed that the Unified Call Center 937 has been designated to support individuals who previously received services from the closed facilities by providing the necessary medical guidance and referring them to accredited healthcare facilities when needed. The Ministry noted that legal procedures against the violating facilities are being completed in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.
The Ministry stated that the applicable penalties include fines of up to SAR 100,000, closure and suspension of violating facilities, and imprisonment for up to six months for unlicensed practitioners, in accordance with the relevant regulations.
MoH urged the public to verify the licensing status of healthcare facilities and the classification of healthcare practitioners before receiving services, ensure that cosmetic procedures are performed under the supervision of specialist physicians, comply with infection prevention and control standards, and confirm the availability of approved medical equipment. The Ministry also encouraged the public to verify information and report violations through the Unified Call Center 937, reaffirming its continued efforts under the “Supporting Oversight” campaign to ensure a safe healthcare environment and strengthen public confidence in healthcare services.