Article 21 of the Saudi Private Health Institutions Law

This is the general penalties article of the Law of Private Health Institutions, and it applies to every violation of the Law's provisions other than the violations stated in Article 20, which is opening a private health institution without a license and has its own penalties of closure, a ban on licensing and fines graded by type of institution.

Without prejudice to any harsher penalty in another law, the violator is punished by one or more of:

1. A fine of not less than SAR 10,000 and not more than SAR 100,000.
2. Closure of the institution for a period not exceeding 60 days, and the institution must make the necessary arrangements to transfer inpatients being treated there to other institutions before the closure.
3. Withdrawal of the license, and its holder may not apply for a new license until at least two years have passed from the date the withdrawal decision was carried out.

Important notes:

• More than one penalty may be combined, such as a fine with closure.
• Closure does not relieve the institution of its responsibility toward its inpatients; it must arrange their transfer before closing.
• Withdrawal of the license is the penalty with the heaviest effect, because it bars a new license for at least two years.

The person addressed by the penalty is "anyone who violates any provision" of the Law, so the scope is wide and covers all provisions other than those to which Article 20 gave its own penalties.

It is followed by Article 22, which makes professional medical errors a matter for the Medical Sharia Committee provided for in the Law of Practice of Human Medicine and Dentistry. Anyone against whom a penalty has been issued would do well to consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative cases to learn the grievance routes and time limits.