Health practitioners on fake degrees face ban

Saudi Gazette report

DAMMAM — The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties has warned that medical practitioners who produce fake certificates and documents for registration and classification purposes will be banned from practicing in the Kingdom’s health service sector.

The classification of health practitioners will be based on educational qualification and experience in the field, Al-Watan Arabic daily reported on Wednesday quoting a statement from the commission.

It said that electronic and written tests and interviews will be conducted on the basis of genuine documents.

Candidates appearing for classification exams should produce genuine documents.

“All health practitioners in the Kingdom’s public and private sectors must complete registration and classification procedures,” the statement said.

In a related development, health authorities have instructed hospitals, health centers and the National Unified Procurement Company to conduct a program to reduce chances of fetal abnormalities due to the use of Isotretinoin by women during pregnancy.

The Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA) has emphasized the need to conduct this risk management program to prevent negative effects of medicine containing Isotretinoin, which is a medication primarily used to treat severe acne as well as skin cancers.

SFDA has urged medical companies to supply guidelines for use of such medicines.

“The document of instructions to be distributed along with packets of medicine should contain information to be followed before and after use,” SFDA said.

Health practitioners should also obtain the permission of patient or his/her relative before giving such medicines, the ministry pointed out. Patients should be informed about possible side effects of the medicine.

Doctors should also inform the National Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety Center if they observe any side effects of the medicine.