In force
Saudi AIDS Prevention Law
نظام الوقاية من متلازمة العوز المناعي المكتسب الإيدز وحقوق المصابين وواجباتهم
Deals with preventing AIDS in Saudi Arabia and sets the rights and duties of people living with the condition. It has 29 articles and concerns patients, health professionals and institutions.
- Articles
- 29
- In force
- 29
- Amended
- 0
- Issued
- 16/4/1439 AH
Issued by: مرسوم ملكي · قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم 190 وتاريخ 1439/4/15هـ
Each article shows the official Arabic text, which is the only legally binding version, followed by our plain-English explanation.
Browse AIDS Prevention Law by topic
Definitions and Objectives of the AIDS Law5 articlesHealth Care for People with AIDS4 articlesAIDS Testing and Reporting Infection5 articlesRights of People with AIDS and Non-Discrimination5 articlesConfidentiality of Infected Persons' Information and Informing the Spouse2 articlesDuties of Infected Persons and Medical Isolation4 articlesAIDS Awareness and Prevention4 articlesPenalties for Violating the AIDS Law3 articlesViolations Committee and Referral to the Prosecution2 articles
Articles of the Saudi AIDS Prevention Law
- Article 1The article defines the terms used in the AIDS Prevention Law, such as infected person, suspected person, close contact, dealing person, isolation, reporting, health bodies and the National Program.
- Article 2The article sets out the Law's objectives: classifying AIDS as a communicable disease, preserving the rights of infected persons and their contacts and stating their duties, and ensuring their care, rehabilitation and continued education and work.
- Article 3The article requires health bodies to provide health care, counseling and psychological support to infected persons and respect their rights, and to combat AIDS, explain how it is transmitted, prevented and treated, and protect the community.
- Article 4The article prohibits any health body from refusing to provide the necessary medical care to any infected person because of the infection.
- Article 5The article tasks the National Program with activating prevention, care and treatment and designating reference laboratories, and requires health bodies to send suspected samples to them and to report all infected cases to the Ministry confidentially.
- Article 6The article requires necessary health care for a pregnant woman living with the virus and her fetus, and bars forcing her to abort or depriving her of custody or care of her children because of her infection.
- Article 7The article obliges health, educational and media bodies to take measures to spread health awareness about AIDS in society and explain the rights of persons living with it, with the procedures left to the Implementing Regulations.
- Article 8The article bars preventing a person living with the disease from their legal rights or from continuing their education, or dismissing them from work, because of the disease, unless it is proven that they deliberately transmitted infection to others.
- Article 9The article bars imposing an AIDS test except in specific cases, including applicants to health colleges, health and military jobs, pre-marital checks and pregnant women, without prejudice to Article 13.
- Article 10The article requires that the community's right to protection from infection be respected, and obliges health, educational, social and media bodies to take prevention and awareness measures and highlight the religious and ethical aspects.
- Article 11The article gives victims of infection with the AIDS virus or disease through deliberate or mistaken transmission the right to apply for compensation for the harm of the infection.
- Article 12The article provides that resident persons living with AIDS who have no outstanding claims are deported, after their rights are settled, immediately to their own countries or any country they choose, and their cases are considered urgently.
- Article 13The article obliges the Ministry of Health to take the necessary measures to test those coming to the Kingdom for work or residence to ensure they are free of AIDS, and refers the testing procedures and their effects to the Implementing Regulations.
- Article 14The article allows isolating a person living with the disease or restricting their residence in a health facility on the recommendation of the competent physician if their condition requires, obliges them not to transmit infection, and requires isolating an infected convict from other prisoners.
- Article 15The article obliges health bodies to test a suspected person to ensure they are free of AIDS and provide health care to them, requires notifying the National Program if they refuse testing, and refers the procedures to the Implementing Regulations.
- Article 16The article obliges all workers in health bodies and others to keep confidential the information of the infected person, and bars disclosing it except in the cases the Law sets out.
- Article 17The article requires a health body to notify an infected spouse, obliges that spouse to notify the other party and sign an acknowledgment of this, and requires the body to summon the other party and contacts, test them and assess the position of those dealing with the infected.
- Article 18The article binds a person living with AIDS to follow the preventive guidance set by the health bodies and not to deliberately transmit infection to others.
- Article 19The article provides that an infected person doing work in which it is feared they may infect others is moved to the nearest suitable work, and refers the work prohibited to the infected and its procedures to the Implementing Regulations.
- Article 20The article obliges the Ministry of Health and other health bodies to take the measures needed to encourage individuals to take voluntary AIDS tests, as a step toward early intervention and control.
- Article 21The article bars any act or omission that constitutes discrimination against persons living with AIDS and leads to degrading their dignity, curtailing their rights or exploiting them because of their infection.
- Article 22The article makes approving the persons nominated by the public health bodies to detect violations of the Law the responsibility of the Saudi Health Council.
- Article 23The article punishes a person who violates Articles 4, 8, 9 and 14 with a fine not exceeding SAR 50,000, without prejudice to any more severe penalty in other regulations or to the injured person's right to compensation.
- Article 24The article punishes a person who violates Articles 6, 16, 17, 18 and 21 with a fine of up to SAR 100,000 or imprisonment of up to 5 years, or both, preserving the injured person's right to compensation.
- Article 25The article regulates a committee formed by the Minister to consider violations of Articles 4, 8, 9 and 14 and apply the Article 23 penalty, with its decisions open to grievance before the Board of Grievances.
- Article 26The article requires referring violations of Articles 6, 16, 17, 18 and 21 to the Public Prosecution, with the competent court considering them, applying the Article 24 penalty, and hearing any other violation connected with them.
- Article 27The article obliges the Minister of Health to issue the Law's Implementing Regulations, after coordination with the Saudi Health Council, within 90 days of the Law's publication.
- Article 28The article provides that the Law on Prevention of AIDS and the Rights and Duties of Persons Living with It repeals any provisions that conflict with it.
- Article 29The article provides that the AIDS Prevention Law takes effect 90 days after the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.