Article 39 of the Saudi Healthcare Professions Practice Law
المادة 39 من نظام مزاولة المهن الصحية
The article allows the Minister to order the temporary suspension of a practitioner when there are evidence and indications of a violation punishable by license cancellation, while ensuring patient care, and allows a grievance before the Board of Grievances within thirty days.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
للوزير أن يأمر بالإيقاف المؤقت عن مزاولة المهنة الصحية، وللمدة التي يراها مناسبة، في حق أي ممارس صحي مرخص له، وذلك عند وجود أدلة و قرائن دالة على مخالفة تكون عقوبتها- في حالة ثبوتها- إلغاء الترخيص.
وإن كان هناك احتمال بأن هذا الإيقاف المؤقت سيترتب عليه إلحاق ضرر بالمرضى المستفيدين، فعلى الوزير اتخاذ ما يجب لاستمرار تلقي المرضى ما يحتاجونه من رعاية صحية.
ويحق للممارس الصحي التظلم من ذلك الإيقاف لدى ديوان المظالم خلال ثلاثين يومًا من تاريخ إبلاغه بذلك.
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 39 explained in plain English
This article gives the Minister of Health the power of temporary suspension of a licensed healthcare practitioner from practicing the profession. It is a precautionary measure taken before the violation is proven.
Condition for suspension: there must be evidence and indications pointing to a violation whose penalty, if proven, is cancellation of the license. Any suspicion is not enough, nor is any violation. The violation must be of the kind that deserves cancellation of the license if proven.
Length of suspension: for the period the Minister considers appropriate, as the text sets no maximum.
Protecting patients: If there is a possibility that the suspension will harm the patients who benefit, the Minister must take what is necessary for them to continue receiving the healthcare they need. The suspension must not come at the patients' expense.
Grievance: The healthcare practitioner has the right to file a grievance against the suspension with the Board of Grievances within thirty days of the date of notifying them of it. Note that this period is shorter than the sixty days set in Article 38 for grievances against the decisions of the violations committees.
It is followed by Article 40, which refers to the Implementing Regulations the rules and procedures needed to hear violations and cases arising from applying the Law and the ways of deciding them. Anyone against whom a suspension decision was issued must observe the thirty-day period, and may consult a lawyer specialized in healthcare practice and medical malpractice cases.
Practical example
The Ministry received evidence and indications that a surgeon at a hospital in Jeddah committed a violation that may be punishable by license cancellation, so the Minister ordered his temporary suspension. The Ministry must take what is necessary to ensure his patients' care continues, and the surgeon may file a grievance against the suspension before the Board of Grievances within thirty days of the date he 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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Frequently asked questions about Article 39 of the Saudi Healthcare Professions Practice Law
Can a doctor be suspended from work before the violation is proven?
Yes. The Minister may order temporary suspension when there are evidence and indications of a violation whose penalty, if proven, is cancellation of the license.
What is the period for filing a grievance against a temporary suspension?
Thirty days from the date the healthcare practitioner is notified of the suspension, and the grievance is filed with the Board of Grievances.
What happens to the patients of a suspended doctor?
If the suspension may harm them, the Minister must take what is necessary for them to continue receiving the healthcare they need.
More articles on Disciplining the Healthcare Practitioner
- Article 31
The article makes the healthcare practitioner subject to disciplinary accountability if they breach their duties under the Law, violate the principles of their profession, or act contrary to its requirements or ethics, without prejudice to criminal or civil liability.
مع عدم الإخلال بأحكام المسؤولية الجزائية أو المدنية، يكون الممارس الصحي محلًّا للمساءلة التأديبية إذا أخل بأحد واجباته المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام، أو خالف أصول
- Article 32
The article sets the disciplinary penalties: a warning, a fine not exceeding SAR 10,000, and cancellation of the license and removal of the name; a new license may not be applied for until two years after cancellation.
العقوبات التأديبية التي يجوز توقيعها في حالة المخالفات المهنية هي : 1 - الإنذار. 2 - غرامة مالية لا تتجاوز عشرة آلاف ريال. 3 - إلغاء الترخيص بمزاولة المهنة الصح
- Article 38
The article makes violations arising from applying the Law, apart from the Health Sharia Authority's jurisdictions, a matter for committees formed by the Minister, and allows a grievance before the Board of Grievances within sixty days.
فيما عدا الاختصاصات المنصوص عليها ( للهيئة الصحية الشرعية)، تنظر المخالفات الناشئة عن تطبيق هذا النظام- لجان تشكل بقرار من الوزير المختص، ويراعى في تشكيل هذه ال
- Article 40
The article refers to the Implementing Regulations the rules and procedures needed to hear violations and cases arising from applying the Law, and the ways of deciding them.
تحدد اللائحة التنفيذية القواعد والإجراءات اللازمة للنظر في المخالفات والقضايا الناشئة عن تطبيق هذا النظام وطرق البت فيها.
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.