Article 11 of the Saudi Elderly Rights and Care Law
المادة 11 من نظام حقوق كبير السن ورعايته
The article requires the government body and anyone providing a public service on its behalf to give the elderly person priority in essential services, particularly health and social services, as the Regulations determine.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
على الجهة الحكومية ومن يقدم خدمة عامة نيابةً عنها إعطاء كبير السن أولوية في الحصول على الخدمات الأساسية التي تقدمها، وبخاصة الخدمات الصحية والاجتماعية؛ وذلك وفقًا لما تحدده اللائحة.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 11 explained in plain English
This article recognizes a right of priority for the elderly person in obtaining essential services. The obligation falls on two parties:
- The government body itself.
- Anyone providing a public service on its behalf, such as a body that provides a government service by delegation.
The priority covers the essential services these bodies provide, and the article singles out health and social services, without limiting the rule to them. The article ends by saying that this is as the Regulations determine, so the forms priority takes and how it is applied are found in the Implementing Regulations.
Note that the rule here is for the elderly person generally, that is, the citizen aged 60 or over under Article 1, and the text did not qualify it with the description "needy". Article 1 also defines public services as every service provided by the government body itself or through others.
This article complements Article 10, which provides the needy elderly person with assistive medical devices and supplies free of charge, and Article 12, under which the Ministry grants the elderly person a privilege card to benefit from public services, and requires that they be taken into account in procedures and that these be completed quickly. Anyone who experiences a breach of this right can consult a lawyer specializing in administrative cases to find the legal route.
Practical example
Abu Fahd, 66, visited a government hospital in Riyadh for a clinic appointment. Under this article the hospital must give him priority in obtaining the health service, and this priority is applied in the way the Regulations set out.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 11 of the Saudi Elderly Rights and Care Law
Do the elderly have priority in government services?
Yes, the government body and anyone providing a public service on its behalf must give the elderly person priority in essential services, particularly health and social services.
Must an elderly person be needy to get priority?
The text did not tie the priority to the description "needy", but gave it to the elderly person, who is the citizen aged 60 or over.
Does the priority cover bodies that provide services on behalf of the government?
Yes, the obligation covers anyone who provides a public service on behalf of the government body.
More articles on Services and Privileges for the Elderly
- Article 10
The article obliges the Ministry to provide assistive medical devices and supplies to the needy elderly person free of charge, and to bear their operating and maintenance costs, as the Regulations determine.
توفر الوزارة لكبير السن المحتاج الأجهزة والمستلزمات الطبية المساعِدة بالمجان، وتتحمل ما يترتب عليها من نفقات التشغيل والصيانة؛ وذلك وفق ما تحدده اللائحة.
- Article 12
Under the article the Ministry grants the elderly person a privilege card to benefit from public services for the necessities of daily life, and the elderly person must be taken into account in procedures and these completed quickly.
تمنح الوزارة كبير السن بطاقة امتياز تمكنه من الاستفادة من الخدمات العامة التي يحتاجها لضروريات حياته اليومية التي تقدمها الجهات الحكومية والخاصة والأهلية لكبير
- Article 13
The article requires the government body and anyone providing a public service on its behalf to give the needy elderly person a discount on its public services, within its powers and as the Regulations determine.
تمنح الجهة الحكومية أو من يقدم خدمة عامة نيابةً عنها لكبير السن المحتاج –في حدود الصلاحيات المخولة لها نظاماً- خصماً على الخدمات العامة التي تقدمها؛ وذلك وفقاً
- Article 20
The article punishes private or non-profit care homes that breach Article 4, and providers of public services that breach Articles 11 and 13, with a fine of up to SAR 100,000, and regulates the review committee, challenges and enforcement.
1- تعاقب دور الرعاية الاجتماعية الخاصة أو الأهلية المخالفة لحكم المادة (الرابعة) من النظام، ومن يقدم خدمة عامة نيابةً عن الجهة الحكومية المخالفة لحكم المادتين (
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.