The Ministry of Health will henceforth refer all cases related to malpractices by healthcare professionals to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution, which would investigate violations that are of a criminal nature punishable with jail terms. This decision is in line with a Royal Decree transferring the jurisdictions of investigation and prosecution in criminal offenses from commissions and committees to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution. Health Ministry Spokesman Mishaal Al-Rubai'an said the violations include practicing medicine without a license, providing false credentials, deceitful advertising of competency, fraudulently using titles associated with the medical profession, using medical instruments without license, and trading in human organs. The spokesman confirmed that the new procedures are aimed at stopping medical malpractices that endanger the lives of patients. Violations also cover unlicensed practitioners, whether doctors, specialists or nurses, performing their medical duties without observing the standard procedures that are essential for obtaining a license to practice. Those practicing medical specialties which they have not been authorized to by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS) also come under the purview of violators. Some instances include those performing procedures on people who suffer from obesity and on patients needing cardiac catheterization, besides other cases of treatment at the hands of non-specialists, whether for material gain or scientific experimentation. The Ministry of Health has reiterated that all healthcare professionals practicing in the private of public sectors must adhere to safety standards, abide by licensing regulations, ensure they are qualified as stipulated by the SCHS, and consider the care of patients as their core professional requirement. They must also adhere to the provisions of the Medical Code of Ethics and the Law of Practicing Health Professions.
