Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The health services committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) has urged the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs to exempt health establishments set up 11 years ago from implementing new regulations. Members of the committee, who are investors in the health sector, said that they find challenges in implementing new regulations on their establishments and added that this will add to existing obstacles and might force many of them to leave the sector as it will result in major losses. Nasir Al-Zahim, head of the health service committee said that the JCCI will be filing an official letter to the Jeddah Municipality requesting them to exempt health establishments that are operating in the sector for over 11 years from implementing new regulations. He added that they have approached the health directorate in Jeddah to cancel the obligatory employment of a consultant at each health clinic located inside districts. He added that the public clinics do not have consultants and questioned why is such a regulation is forced on privately owned clinics. These clinics, he said, charge less and serve low-income people. However, employing a consultant requires paying SR30,000 a month. Among the other issues that the investors face is obtaining licenses and working on unifying the job descriptions among ministries of health and labor and social development and the Saudi Commission for Health Specialists. The number of hospitals in the Kingdom is estimated at 147 and there are some 2,700 polyclinics. It is expected that the sector may have investment opportunities that are worth SR41 billion. This is expected to increase the participation of the private sector and may increase its current participation.
