Article 21 of the Saudi Mental Health Law

This Article creates an internal body to defend patients, the mental patients' rights committee, in every mental treatment facility equipped for inpatient admission, formed by decision of the regional director of health affairs.

Composition:

• A member of the civil associations concerned with patients' rights as chair.
• The director of the facility or his deputy as deputy chair.
• A social worker at the facility as member.
• A relative of patients as member.

Note that the committee is chaired by a member of a civil association rather than by the facility's management, and that it includes a representative of patients' families, which gives it a degree of independence and closeness to patients.

Competence:

• Informing patients of their rights under the Law and safeguarding them.
• Receiving the complaints patients or their relatives submit and seeking to resolve them.
• Referring a complaint to the local supervisory council or the competent authorities.

In practice, if a patient or his family has a concern about treatment or service inside the facility, the committee is a nearby body to start with, and it may refer the matter to the local council if necessary. It differs from the technical medical committee in Article 20, which deals with cases that obstruct the treatment plan.

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