Majed Al-Seqairi Okaz/Saudi Gazette MADINAH — The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) has said medical practitioners will have to pay a one-time additional fee of between SR380 and SR430 for registering with the commission. Such fees will be used to cover the cost of verifying and authenticating the practitioner's documents. The practitioner will be asked to sign a letter allowing an American company to verify the documents. The commission had contracted an American company for this purpose. The practitioner is also required to pass the Prometric test conducted by the commission. The additional fee is SR430 for doctors and surgeons and SR380 for other medical specialties. This measure was taken after the discovery of 7,000 bogus certificates of doctors and pharmacists in the private medical sector. The Ministry of Health has previously warned disqualified practitioners against continuing to work until their status is verified. The ministry also warned private medical establishments against allowing such practitioners to operate and to deport them immediately. A committee with representatives from the interior, health, higher education and finance ministries, in addition to the Control and Investigation Board has issued a number of recommendations to deal with unqualified practitioners. All practitioners should obtain the "profession classification card" from the commission. This card is required for renewing residency permits and for transferring sponsorships. The governorates shall monitor private medical training institutes and prevent them from issuing false certificates. Cooperation should continue between the commission and international offices in verifying certificates. Embassies and educational offices abroad should authenticate certificates before granting visas. These recommendations were officially communicated to all private medical establishments.
