The Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has trained 400 physicians and nurses to provide cupping and other naturopathic treatments at licensed Hijama clinics, said Dr. Abdullah Al-Baddah, executive director of the center. "We have also issued licenses to open a number of new Hijama centers in various parts of the country to make sure that the service is provided in a safe place by qualified doctors and medical practitioners," he told Al-Madina Arabic daily. As of now the center has issued licenses to 16 Hijama clinics while it has received more than 30 applications. "There are at least 17 authorized Hijama experts who can train doctors and nurses on providing Hijama services in the Kingdom," he added. [caption id="attachment_102122" align="alignright" width="300"] The Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has so far issued licenses for 16 Hijama clinics in the Kingdom. — File photo[/caption]Hijama, which literally means sucking, is the Arabic term for wet cupping, where blood is drawn by vacuum from a small skin incision for therapeutic purposes. The practice has Greek and Persian origin and was mentioned by Hippocrates. The center for alternative medicine has set out certain rules and regulations for Hijama clinics to follow and on the basis of these regulations licenses are issued to qualified centers, Al-Baddah said, adding that the existing rules are enough to regulate such centers and their operations. "The existing rules and regulations prevent individuals from providing Hijama service in a haphazard manner," Al-Baddah said. Only individuals who have degrees in medicine, naturopathy, nursing and alternative medicine are given licenses to practice cupping. "After attending the specified courses, the trainees have to pass theoretical and practical tests," the executive director said, adding that the center has been given the authority to close down unlicensed Hijama clinics in the country. He said a number of alternative health services such as chiropractic therapy, naturopathic therapy, acupuncture and orthopedic therapy have been licensed in the Kingdom. "We are now conducting studies and research on licensing other alternative therapies." He said the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties calculates the Hijama training courses attended by doctors and nurses as part of their continuous medical education. The commission also takes into consideration the experience of Hijama practitioners.
