Saeed Al-Khotani Saudi Gazette RIYADH — Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah has ordered the closure of a dental center in the city of Turaif in the Northern Border Province and the cancellation of its license as punishment for a host of violations. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Health in the capital on Wednesday. “The owner will also be forbidden from applying for a new license to open any premises for two years from the cancelation date,” the announcement said. The cancelation came after an inspection team from the Department for Private Sector Health Affairs at the Directorate General of Health Affairs at the Northern Border Province registered a number of violations against the center. The violations included using two unlicensed physicians, one male and one female, to work at the center, not having specialized dental clinics and lack of nurses and dental technicians. Though the owner of the center was repeatedly told by Medical Violations Committee at the directorate to end these violations he failed to respond. In addition to the closure and license withdrawal, the punishment will also see the case forwarded to the Health Practitioners Committee at the ministry where appropriate punishments against the two physicians for practicing dentistry without having the required licenses will be determined. The ministry has repeatedly warned against violating healthcare regulations, saying it will not hesitate to punish those who put people's health in jeopardy.
