Manama: A second privately-owned clinic has been shut down in the Red Sea city of Jeddah for failing to meet the standards set by the Saudi medical authorities.
The decision was taken after a committee tasked with looking into violations by privately-owned health facilities confirmed the conclusions of an inspection team about a shortage of medical staff and the absence of a sterilisation unit in the operation departments. Added to this was the non-conformity of the building with the standards of security and safety, Saudi daily Okaz reported on Wednesday.
The clinic was not named, but the daily said that it was located in downtown Jeddah.
The health ministry launched an investigation into the status of the clinic after it received reports about safety risks in two of its buildings.
According to the reports, one building “was not safe, could pose risks in the event of accidents and could obstruct fire rescue operations.”
The health department in Jeddah also submitted a report on the condition of the facility and recommended that it be closed due to “the serious risk factors in the old building visited by hundreds of patients and other people on a daily basis.”
Sources told the daily that the clinic management took note of the reports by the civil defence and launched an operation to address all deficiencies.
Last month, the authorities shut down a clinic in north Jeddah following reports that it had failed to renew its licence.
An inspection team from the health ministry found that the clinic was operating without a valid licence for the last seven years.
