Article 27 of the Saudi Healthcare Professions Practice Law
المادة 27 من نظام مزاولة المهن الصحية
The article obliges the practitioner to compensate for any professional healthcare error that harms the patient, has the Health Sharia Authority set the amount, lists forms of error, and voids conditions limiting or excusing liability.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
كل خطأ مهني صحي صدر من الممارس الصحي وترتب عليه ضرر للمريض يلتزم من ارتكبه بالتعويض، وتحدد (الهيئة الصحية الشرعية) المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام مقدار هذا التعويض، ويعد من قبيل الخطأ المهني الصحي ما يأتي :
1 - الخطأ في العلاج، أو نقص المتابعة.
2 - الجهل بأمور فنية يفترض فيمن كان في مثل تخصصه الإلمام بها.
3 - إجراء العمليات الجراحية التجريبية وغير المسبوقة على الإنسان بالمخالفة للقواعد المنظمة لذلك.
4 - إجراء التجارب أو البحوث العلمية غير المعتمدة على المريض.
5 - إعطاء دواء للمريض على سبيل الاختبار.
6 - استخدام آلات أو أجهزة طبية دون علم كافٍ بطريقة استعمالها، أو دون اتخاذ الاحتياطات الكفيلة بمنع حدوث ضرر من جراء هذا الاستعمال.
7 - التقصير في الرقابة والإشراف .
8 - عدم استشارة من تستدعي حالة المريض الاستعانة به.
ويقع باطلًا كل شرط يتضمن تحديد أو إعفاء الممارس الصحي من المسؤولية.
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 27 explained in plain English
This article is the basis of liability for medical errors in the Law. Every professional healthcare error by the healthcare practitioner that results in harm to the patient obliges whoever committed it to pay compensation. The Health Sharia Authority provided for in the Law sets the amount of this compensation.
The article lists forms that are treated as professional healthcare error:
- Error in treatment, or lack of follow-up.
- Ignorance of technical matters that someone of the same specialty is presumed to know.
- Performing experimental and unprecedented surgical operations on a person in violation of the rules regulating them.
- Conducting unapproved experiments or scientific research on the patient.
- Giving the patient a medicine on a trial basis.
- Using medical machines or devices without sufficient knowledge of how to use them, or without taking the precautions that prevent harm.
- Negligence in oversight and supervision.
- Not consulting someone whom the patient's condition calls for.
The phrase "treated as" indicates that these forms are given as examples.
The article closes with an important rule: any condition is void that limits the healthcare practitioner's liability or excuses them from it. So a patient's signature on a paper excusing the practitioner from liability is not given effect.
It is preceded by Article 26, which makes the practitioner's obligation one of vigilant care in line with scientific principles. Article 28, in its item 7, also punishes whoever violates paragraph 3 of this article with imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months and a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand riyals, or either of them. Anyone harmed by a medical error may consult a lawyer specialized in healthcare practice and medical malpractice cases.
Practical example
A woman entered a private hospital in Jeddah for a minor operation, and before it signed a paper saying the hospital and physician are not responsible for any complications. It was then found that the physician used a device without sufficient knowledge of how to use it, and she was harmed. This is a form of professional error, and the condition she signed is void, so whoever committed the error must pay the compensation whose amount the Health Sharia Authority sets.
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 27 of the Saudi Healthcare Professions Practice Law
Am I entitled to compensation for a medical error?
Yes. Every professional healthcare error by the healthcare practitioner that results in harm to the patient obliges whoever committed it to pay compensation.
Who sets the amount of compensation for a medical error?
The Health Sharia Authority provided for in the Law.
Is a waiver that excuses the doctor from liability valid?
No. Any condition that limits the healthcare practitioner's liability or excuses them from it is void.
Is lack of follow-up considered a medical error?
Yes. The article lists error in treatment or lack of follow-up among the forms of professional healthcare error.
More articles on Medical Error and Compensation
- Article 26
The article provides that the healthcare practitioner's obligation is an obligation to exercise vigilant care consistent with accepted scientific principles.
التزام الممارس الصحي الخاضع لهذا النظام هو التزام ببذل عناية يقظة تتفق مع الأصول العلمية المتعارف عليها.
- Article 34
The article gives the Health Sharia Authority jurisdiction over professional healthcare errors for which a private-right claim is made, and over errors causing death or loss of an organ or its function, even without a private claim.
تختص الهيئة الصحية الشرعية بالآتي : 1 - النظر في الأخطاء المهنية الصحية التي ترفع بها المطالبة بالحق الخاص (دية - تعويض - أرش). 2 - النظر في الأخطاء المهنية الص
- Article 41
The article makes cooperative insurance against medical professional errors mandatory for physicians and dentists, and requires institutions to guarantee compensation awarded by final judgment if coverage is absent or insufficient.
يكون الاشتراك في التأمين التعاوني ضد الأخطاء المهنية الطبية إلزاميًّا على جميع الأطباء وأطباء الأسنان العاملين في المؤسسات الصحية العامة والخاصة. وتضمن هذه المؤ
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.