Mohammad Dawood

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The Command and Control Center (CCC) has proposed a new penalty for the public health sector known as tashheer (announcing the institute’s name and the violation in public domain).



CCC head and Deputy Health Minister Dr. Abdulaziz Bin Saeed said the ministry is looking into CCC’s recommendation to name the violating health institute in newspapers as a penalty.



“The ministry does not want any of its institutions taking health regulations lightly, especially when it comes to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). If the penalty is approved, it will only be implemented for severe violations that leads the institute to be shut down” said Bin Saeed.



He added the expenses of announcing the institute’s name in the newspapers will be taken from the violating institute’s budget.



“Penalties remain a legal issue at the end of the day. If the penalty is approved, the institutes will have 60 days to take action against the penalty. If the institute in question files a case and the legal authority denies/stays our penalty than we would be forced to drop it,” said Bin Saeed.



He also said the CCC conducts regular inspection and quality assurance campaigns to ensure all institutes conform to health regulations.



“I think the penalty will be very effective when implemented. In the health industry no mistake or violation is too little or trivial. All health institutes should understand that in the medical field, perfectionism in performance and treatment is the norm,” said Bin Saeed.



Meanwhile, 13 coronavirus patients are currently under treatment in hospitals and one in quarantine at the patient’s own home.



“Six of the 13 are in Riyadh, one in the Eastern Province, five in Jeddah and one in Taif. Four patients have recovered. The recovered patients were a Saudi woman in the Northern Borders, Saudi men from Tabuk and the Eastern Province and an expatriate from Jeddah” said Bin Saeed.