Clinic gets under authorities' skin

Manama: A dermatology clinic in Doha, opened less than a month ago, has been shut down after health authorities discovered it was employing unlicensed medical staff.

Qatar's Supreme Council of Health (SCH) said the clinic, run by a high-profile dermatologist, was shut for serious violations of health regulations and that it could face permanent closure.

The female dermatologist involved in the offence, a GCC national, could be blacklisted in Qatar, a senior official at the Medical Licensing Department at SCH said.

"We ordered the immediate closure of the facility, having found that four unlicensed medical staff were performing various kinds of treatments, when the doctor was away in her own country," said the official, quoted by Qatari daily The Peninsula.

"She's a well-known dermatologist and she had a licence to operate in Qatar. But she cared little about Qatari rules and we had warned her several times on this issue," said the official.

The doctor had been travelling between Qatar and her own country while the clinic remained open, a situation that caught the attention of the authorities. "We had a strong suspicion about the activities in the clinic, which was confirmed during an inspection. Our inspectors found four medical staff working there and none of them had a licence. They were giving laser treatment and medical examinations while the physician was absent," said the official.

The dermatologist is currently not in Qatar, but the Medical Licensing Department is planning strong action against her.

"This is a very serious offence and we want to convey a message to all health practitioners who do not take Qatari law seriously. The case will be referred to the Permanent Licensing Committee at SCH for further action," said the official.

He added that the doctor involved would be banned from practising in Qatar and could be blacklisted.