Article 8 of the Saudi Healthcare Professions Practice Law
المادة 8 من نظام مزاولة المهن الصحية
The article requires a healthcare practitioner who witnesses or knows that a patient or injured person is in a critical condition to give possible assistance or make sure the person receives the necessary care.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجب على الممارس الصحي الذي يشهد أو يعلم أن مريضًا أو جريحًا في حالة خطرة أن يقدم له المساعدة الممكنة، أو أن يتأكد من أنه يتلقى العناية الضرورية.
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 8 explained in plain English
This article places on the healthcare practitioner a duty of rescue toward anyone in danger, even if the person is not their patient and they are not at their workplace.
The duty arises when two things are present:
- The healthcare practitioner witnesses the situation themselves, or knows of it.
- The person is a patient or injured person in a critical condition.
The practitioner then has one of two options that satisfy the duty:
- To give possible assistance, meaning what their circumstances and means allow in the situation.
- Or to make sure the injured person is receiving the necessary care, for example because an ambulance team has taken over the case.
The text does not ask for the impossible, only for "possible assistance". The article follows Article 7 on developing knowledge and prohibiting unrecognized treatment methods, and precedes Article 9, which requires medical work to aim at the patient's interest and prevents the practitioner from doing work beyond their specialty or means except in a case of necessity. Anyone with a question about a healthcare practitioner's responsibility in a particular incident may consult a lawyer specialized in healthcare practice and medical malpractice cases.
Practical example
A nurse was returning from work in Taif when she saw a traffic accident with an injured person bleeding. The Law requires her to give possible assistance, such as stopping the bleeding until the ambulance arrives, or to make sure the injured person is receiving the necessary care if paramedics have arrived and taken over.
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 8 of the Saudi Healthcare Professions Practice Law
Must a physician help a person in distress on the street?
Yes. If they witness or know that a patient or injured person is in a critical condition, they must give possible assistance or make sure the person receives the necessary care.
Is a healthcare practitioner required to do more than they are able to?
No. The text asks for possible assistance, or making sure the injured person receives the necessary care.
More articles on Duties of the Healthcare Practitioner
- Article 5
The article requires the healthcare practitioner to practice for the benefit of the individual and society, respecting human life, safety and dignity, observing prevailing customs, and avoiding exploitation.
يزاول الممارس الصحي مهنته لمصلحة الفرد والمجتمع في نطاق احترام حق الإنسان في الحياة وسلامته وكرامته، مراعيًا في عمله العادات والتقاليد السائدة في المملكة مبتعدً
- Article 6
The article requires the healthcare practitioner to assist the competent authorities in protecting public health and warding off the dangers that threaten it in peace and in war.
يلتزم الممارس الصحي بمعاونة السلطات المختصة في أداء واجبها نحو حماية الصحة العامة، ودرء الأخطار التي تهددها في السلم والحرب.
- Article 7
The article requires the healthcare practitioner to develop their knowledge and follow developments in their specialty, requires facilities to facilitate their attendance at courses, and prohibits unrecognized or prohibited diagnosis and treatment methods.
أ - يجب على الممارس الصحي أن يعمل على تنمية معلوماته، وأن يتابع التطورات العلمية والاكتشافات الحديثة في مجال تخصصه، وعلى إدارات المنشآت الصحية تسهيل حضوره للندو
- Article 9
The article requires medical work to aim always at the patient's interest, and prevents the healthcare practitioner from doing work beyond their specialty or means except in a case of necessity.
أ - يجب أن يستهدف العمل الطبي دائمًا مصلحة المريض، وعلى الممارس الصحي أن يبذل جهده لكل مريض. ب - لا يجوز للممارس الصحي- في غيرحالة الضرورة- القيام بعمل يجاوز اخ
- Article 11
The article requires the healthcare practitioner, immediately on examining a patient suspected of being injured by a crime or of having an infectious disease, to notify the competent security and health authorities; the Minister sets the diseases, the authority and the procedures.
يجب على الممارس الصحي فور معاينته لمريض مشتبه في إصابته جنائيًّا، أو إصابته بمرض معد؛ أن يبلغ الجهات الأمنية والصحية المختصة، ويصدر الوزير قرارًا بتحديد الأمراض
- Article 15
The article requires the healthcare practitioner to carry out diagnosis with the necessary care using suitable technical means and those the case calls for, and to give the patient what they request about their condition and test results, accurately and objectively.
يجب على الممارس الصحي أن يجري التشخيص بالعناية اللازمة مستعينًا بالوسائل الفنية الملائمة، وبمن تستدعي ظروف الحالة الاستعانة بهم من الأخصائيين أو المساعدين، وأن
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.