Article 11 of the Saudi Mental Health Law

المادة 11 من نظام الرعاية الصحية النفسية

The Article lets an emergency-department physician admit a mental patient temporarily for emergency care when the Article 13 conditions apply, except paragraph 3, for no more than 72 hours with notification duties.

Official text (Arabic)

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

أ - للطبيب في أقسام الطوارئ أو الإسعاف في جميع المستشفيات؛ صلاحية إدخال المريض النفسي للإسعاف بصفة مؤقتة للملاحظة والعلاج إذا انطبقت عليه شروط الدخول الإلزامي الواردة في المادة (الثالثة عشرة) من هذا النظام، ما عدا الفقرة (3) من تلك الشروط، مع التزام الطبيب بما يأتي :

1 - ألا تتجاوز مدة الدخول الإسعافي للمريض النفسي (اثنتين وسبعين) ساعة من وقت معاينة الطبيب، ويُثْبت ذلك في سجل المريض النفسي.

2 - إبلاغ إدارة المنشأة العلاجية النفسية التابع لها بنوع الدخول للمريض، وعلاجه وفق النموذج المخصص.

3 - إبلاغ المريض النفسي عن حالته الصحية ونوعية دخوله إذا كانت حالته تؤهله لذلك، أو إبلاغ وليه إذا كان غير ذلك.

ب - يحق للطبيب الذي قرر الدخول الإسعافي إلغاء قراره، ويحق للطبيب النفسي إلغاء قرار الدخول الإسعافي قبل انتهاء المدة المحددة في الفقرة (أ/1) من هذه المادة بعد الكشف على ذلك المريض.

ج - بعد انتهاء المدة المحددة في الفقرة (أ/1) من هذه المادة، يلغى الدخول الإسعافي للمريض النفسي تلقائيًّا ما لم تنطبق عليه شروط الدخول الإلزامي المنصوص عليها في المادة (الثالثة عشرة) من هذا النظام.

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 regulates emergency admission, a temporary measure for urgent cases in emergency or ambulance departments in all hospitals.

The condition: a physician in these departments may admit the mental patient for emergency care, for observation and treatment, if the conditions for compulsory admission in Article 13 apply to him, except paragraph 3 of them. Article 13 requires clear evidence of a severe mental disorder whose symptoms pose a danger to him or to others or a high likelihood of it, and that admission be necessary for his recovery, improvement or to stop his deterioration. The excepted paragraph 3 is the written approval of two psychiatrists, which is not required for emergency admission.

The physician's obligations:

The period must not exceed 72 hours from the time the physician examines him, and this is recorded in the patient's file.
Notify the management of the facility of the type of admission and his treatment on the designated form.
Inform the patient of his condition and the type of admission if his condition allows it, and otherwise inform his guardian.

Cancellation and expiry: the physician who decided the admission may cancel his decision, and a psychiatrist may cancel it before the period ends after examining the patient. After the 72 hours the emergency admission is canceled automatically, unless the conditions for compulsory admission in Article 13 apply.

Article 12 deals with the situation where no physician is available at all.

If you have a specific case, it is best to consult a lawyer who specializes in health regulations and patients' rights.

Practical example

A man was brought to the emergency department of a general hospital in Hail in a state of severe agitation in which he was threatening himself. The emergency physician found that the danger condition and the need for admission applied, so he admitted him for emergency care, recorded it in his file and notified the management and his family. After 72 hours from the examination the admission ends automatically unless the conditions for compulsory admission are met.

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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