Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The field monitoring visits of the compliance teams of the Ministry of Health (MoH) resulted in the issuance of 194 closure decisions during 2022 against health institutions until they correct the violations.

The health institutions that were closed included 10 hospitals, 135 medical complexes, 9 pharmacies, and other 40 health institutions.

While 2,420 penalty decisions were issued against health practitioners were conducted, the total number of precautionary measures violations reached 44,849, of which 3,058 for individuals, and 4,1791 for health institutions.

The number of penalties subjected to the health institutions amounted 11,892, of which 1,096 were imposed on hospitals, 4,861 on medical complexes, 4,632 on pharmacies, and 1,303 on other health institutions.

These numbers have been revealed by MoH as it stated that the compliance teams have conducted more than 700,000 field monitoring tours in 2022 to ensure that the health institutions are committed to applying the health requirements and prevention of the COVID-19 and limit its spread.

MoH confirmed that its daily monitoring visits aims in raising the level of commitment of health institutions in hospitals, complex, pharmacies, with health requirements.

This is in addition to guarantee their commitment to the preventive measures for coronavirus, such as wearing face masks, inside the health institution, and also to ensuring their implementation of the approved health practice mechanisms to manage the pandemic, and also to check the availability of the necessary requirements for patient safety.

It is worth mentioning that the ministry called on all health care providers and health practitioners to adhere to the health requirements that are in the health laws, as well as the importance of adhering to the preventive measures and procedures followed in Saudi Arabia in order to preserve the patients' health and safety.

The ministry said that anyone who violates the procedures will be subject to statutory penalties amounting to a fine of SR300,000, in addition to closing the facility, withdrawing the license of the institution and the health practitioner, and banning from practicing for a period of up to two years.