Article 17 of the Saudi Fertility Units Law

المادة 17 من نظام وحدات الإخصاب والأجنة وعلاج العقم · الباب الثاني: لجنة الإشراف على أمور الإخصاب والأجنة وعلاج العقم

The article governs the Supervisory Committee's quorum of two-thirds of its members, its meetings, the issuing of its decisions by majority of those present and their approval by the Minister, and challenge before the Board of Grievances within 60 days of notification.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

تنعقد لجنة الإشراف بحضور ثلثي أعضائها على الأقل، وتعقد اجتماعاتها بدعوة من رئيسها بصفة دورية، أو كلما دعت الحاجة إلى ذلك، وتصدر قراراتها بأغلبية أصوات الأعضاء الحاضرين، ويعتمد الوزير تلك القرارات، ويجوز التظلم من قرار اللجنة أمام ديوان المظالم خلال ستين يومًا من تاريخ إبلاغه.

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 17 explained in plain English

This article explains how the Supervisory Committee works and how its decisions may be challenged:

Quorum: it meets when at least two-thirds of its members are present.
Meetings: on the call of its chair, periodically, or whenever need arises.
Issuing decisions: by majority of the votes of the members present, not by a majority of all members.
Approval: the Minister approves the Committee's decisions, and under Article 1 the Minister is the Minister of Health.
Grievance: a decision of the Committee may be challenged before the Board of Grievances within 60 days of the date of notification.

The grievance period therefore runs from the date of notification of the decision, not from the date it was issued. The article does not mention any prior grievance before another body ahead of the Board of Grievances.

This article follows Article 16, which sets membership at three years, renewable. It is followed by Article 18, which sets out the Committee's functions, including recommending the granting of licenses to units and determining their level of activity, studying and approving fertilization methods, considering research applications, and forming technical committees for oversight. The Committee's decisions on these matters are the ones that may be challenged.

Because the grievance period is fixed, a person against whom the Committee has issued a decision should act promptly and consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative cases (the Board of Grievances).

Practical example

A private hospital in Jeddah applies to carry out research in the field of fertilization, and the Supervisory Committee rejects it; the hospital is notified of the decision on a certain date. The hospital may challenge the decision before the Board of Grievances within 60 days of the date it was notified.

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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