COVID-19: Saudis shut 144 Riyadh health facilities for flouting rules

Abu Dhabi: Some 144 private health facilities, including hospitals and medical complexes, in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh were shut down and fined for failing to adhere to health requirements to stem the COVID-19 outbreak, local media said on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia’s health ministry’s compliance teams recorded 4,378 offences, during 91,433 visits made to more medical facilities last year.

The Riyadh Health Department said inspection teams visited 31,793 hospitals, 24,355 pharmacies, 10,043 public medical complexes, 4,832 specialised medical complexes, 1,973 kidney centers, 2,347 clinics and 1,339 quarantine facilities.

Several facilities were also fined SR300,000 as a warning against future violations.

The health ministry ramped up its efforts to crack down on violators, and increased its daily visits to hospitals, complexes, pharmacies, and other health institutions to ensure they follow guidelines.