Experts here say that the absence of a law governing psychiatric medicine has affected the trust between doctors and patients. They hope that the Shoura Council will bring greater certainty to the profession by finalizing legislation in this regard later this year, according to a report in Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic newspaper. Many patients fear that there may be a breach in confidentiality because there is no legislation dealing with the relationship between doctors and patients. This has been the case for Wafa, a young woman who suffers from a psychiatric illness. She had steadfastly refused to see a doctor until her friend decided to intervene and make an appointment for her at a psychiatric hospital. Dr. Suhail Khan, a psychiatry consultant and Director of the Mental Health Hospital in Jeddah, said the new legislation would define the rights of patients and limit what treating doctors are allowed to know about their patients. He stressed that patients have the right to keep their information confidential. A psychiatrist can only release information if the patient has threatened to commit suicide. Khan said that the absence of governing legislation has meant that many patients lie to their doctors about what's happening with them. This prevents patients from being diagnosed and treated correctly, he added. “The draft law governing the practice of psychiatric medicine in the Kingdom is still being reviewed by the Shoura Council. There are differences over the law between Shoura members. Some argue that it is mostly directed against treating doctors.” The law will hold doctors accountable for mistakes such as exposing patients' secrets or exploiting them in any other way. Khan said the Shoura members have overcome their differences over these points and are in the process of endorsing it after Eid Al-Fitr. Dr. Abdullah Al-Otaibi, Chairman of the Health Affairs Committee, said the Shoura Council has completed studying the law and confirmed it will be endorsed after Eid. He said that the new law, which consists of 30 articles, will be the first of its kind in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. It will clearly define the rights and obligations of patients, doctors, service providers and therapeutic facilities. It also tackles the compulsory admission of a patient by his or her family to a mental health institution.
