The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) have warned doctors in the public and private sectors not to subject patients to medical research or drug experiments without their consent. The MOH said doctors are breaking the law if they give patients money to conduct any form of medical experiment or trial. The ministry said that it has not uncovered any such incidents so far. Dr. Abdullah Al-Taifi, Director-General of Madina Region Health Affairs, told Al-Hayat Arabic daily that the ministry has formed a committee called “Medical Research Ethics” to support Saudi doctors and encourage them to do research and to ensure protection for patients. “The committee seeks to lay down clear regulations and mechanisms for doctors and patients who are to undergo a medical experiment to prevent violations. The committee will help researchers perform their tasks and job in a healthy environment,” said Al-Taifi. Many doctors refrain from conducting medical research, which is an important but expensive tool for measuring how successful a hospital is, said Taifi. The MOH allocates adequate funds for medical research, he stressed. “We have not received any reports that doctors in the public or private sectors have paid their patients money to conduct medical research on their bodies without their prior consent”, said Taifi. Dr. Omar Zuhair Hafidh, a member of the NSHR's executive council in Madina Region, said, “We have not received any complaints about medical blackmail or abuse”. The NSHR takes the issue of medical experiments on patients seriously, he said, adding that a religious decree should be issued by the Grand Mufti before one is conducted. Patients who get money to undergo medical experiments should be aware of the religious rulings on this issue, he said. The reasons for patients agreeing to undergo medical experiment should be investigated, said Hafidh, adding that there is an insurance policy for medical errors but none for medical experiments that go wrong. This issue should be studied and a clear-cut law formulated. Because medical schools at universities depend on academic training and research, some doctors might pay patients money to undergo medical experiments and research. However, such experiments and research depend on the ethics of the researcher and how aware he is of the laws and risks of such experiments on patients' bodies.
