Health Professions Practice Law

Purpose and scope

• Governs the practice of the health professions, practitioners' duties and liability for professional errors, and prohibits practising any health profession without a ministry licence (Article 2).

Key rules, rights and obligations

• A practitioner who stops practising for two consecutive years, other than for study or training, may return only after renewing the licence (Article 3).
• No medical procedure may be carried out without the patient's consent or that of their representative, except in emergencies needing immediate action to save life or a limb (Article 19).
• A practitioner must keep patients' secrets and may disclose them only in specified cases (Article 21).
• A practitioner may not advertise themselves except in permitted cases (Article 10), practise more than one health profession, or seek or accept commissions (Article 12).
• A pharmacist may not dispense medicine without a prescription from a licensed doctor where one is required (Article 23).

Violations, penalties and common problems

• Any professional error that harms a patient obliges the practitioner to compensate; examples include treatment errors, inadequate follow-up and ignorance of technical matters (Article 27).
• Practising without a licence, or with one obtained by false information: up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of up to one hundred thousand riyals, or either (Article 28).
• Breaching the rules on advertising, commissions and similar: a fine of up to fifty thousand riyals (Article 29); other violations up to twenty thousand riyals (Article 30).
• Disciplinary penalties: a warning, a fine of up to ten thousand riyals, or cancellation and removal with no new application for at least two years (Article 32).

Procedures and key deadlines

• The Sharia Health Panel hears professional errors where a private claim (blood money, compensation or arsh) is made, and errors causing death or loss of a limb (Article 34).
• The panel's decisions may be challenged before the Board of Grievances within sixty days of notification (Article 35).
• A public-right case is not heard after one year from knowledge of the professional error (Article 37).

An advisory summary prepared by Al-Bayan Al-Wadih Law Firm. It is not an official text and does not replace the law, its implementing regulations, or advice from a specialised lawyer. The official published text and its amendments prevail.