Article 4 of the Saudi AIDS Prevention Law

This article is short but is one of the most important safeguards for the infected person in the Law: no health body may refuse to provide the necessary medical care to any infected person because of the infection.

Elements of the ruling:

• "Any health body": under Article 1, any public or private body that provides health care, so the prohibition covers government and private hospitals, centers and clinics.
• "Medical care": which under Article 1 is the preventive, therapeutic and rehabilitative services concerned with the health of the individual and society. The article is therefore not limited to treating AIDS itself but covers medical care in its broad sense, such as dental treatment, surgery or any other medical need.
• "The necessary": that is, the care the patient's condition requires.
• "Because of the infection": what is prohibited is for the reason for the refusal to be infection with AIDS.

The practical effect: if an infected person goes to a clinic for treatment of a condition unrelated to AIDS, the clinic may not refuse to treat the person because the person is infected. The article itself does not specify a penalty for the violation.

This article complements Article 3, which requires health bodies to provide health care, counseling and psychological support to infected persons and to respect their rights. Article 5 then tasks the National Program with activating the procedures of prevention, care and rehabilitation and providing treatment to infected persons.

Anyone refused treatment because of the infection may consult a lawyer specializing in health regulations to learn the steps open to them.