The Ministry of Health announced the closure and withdrawal of licenses of a number of private health facilities, including 5 private health centers, 40 medical clinics, and 20 private pharmacies within the framework of supervision and control of the institutions in the private health sector.
Informed health told Al-Rai daily that the reasons for closing the twenty pharmacies came upon the recommendations of the inspection committees which ensured that these pharmacies are managed by third parties and not the license holder.
The sources said “the violations that were monitored in the pharmacies include medicine invoices which showed they were purchased through an intermediary, a company that has nothing to do with pharmacies that has been closed and license withdrawn, as well as the sale invoices with the logo and name of the same company.
This is in addition to the presence of (Knet) receipts indicating that the incoming funds from the pharmacy’s sale are transferred to the company’s bank account, which confirms that the pharmacy is managed by people other than the owner of the pharmacy license.
For its part, the Ministry of Health confirmed that “the decisions to close and withdraw licenses for these facilities came based on what was monitored by the specialized inspection committees, and the recommendations of the medical body’s responsibility in investigating the results, after which it was decided to take the necessary legal action regarding these facilities.”
The Ministry indicated that “in light of the recommendations issued by the competent committees, the Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi, issued a decision to close those violating facilities and withdraw their licenses, stressing in this regard the keenness to implement the law and impose a deterrent penalty on each violator, as there is no room for complacency in this matter which concerns health and safety of citizens.”