Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The Ministry of Health has approved practicing cupping (Hijamah) according to controls specified by the the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the center's director Dr. Abdullah Muhammad Al-Baddah said here on Tuesday. A five-stage plan to grant licenses for practicing cupping will begin in four weeks, he said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Training institutes and centers will be granted approval to train Hijamah practitioners, including those who have obtained university qualifications in physiotherapy or nursing, and those who have obtained health technician diploma after secondary school. These qualifications should have been registered with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties. They should also pass the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine examination. Al-Baddah said cupping is not allowed for children under 12 years of age, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, people suffering from acute or chronic kidney failure, liver failure patients and people suffering from blood diseases, among others.
