Saudi Health Ministry launches campaign to regulate bariatric surgery licenses

The Saudi Ministry of Health has launched a comprehensive awareness campaign to explain the health requirements and obligations related to bariatric surgery in various healthcare facilities across the Kingdom. This initiative is part of the Ministry's strategy to raise awareness among both healthcare practitioners and patients, and to promote adherence to health regulations to ensure the safety and quality of services provided.

The context of the campaign and the importance of regulating bariatric surgeries

This campaign is of paramount importance given the high rates of obesity in the region, which have led to a surge in demand for weight-loss and cosmetic surgeries. With this increased demand, it has become essential to strengthen oversight to ensure that these delicate surgical interventions are performed according to the highest medical standards and to curb malpractice that could endanger patients' lives or cause serious health complications.

Through these moves, the ministry seeks to regulate this vital sector and ensure that all procedures are carried out within licensed facilities that are fully equipped to handle this type of operation, and by qualified medical personnel who hold the necessary licenses.

Campaign objectives: Licensing and transparency

Based on the Ministry of Health's commitment to protecting the health of beneficiaries, the campaign focused on several key areas, most notably:

• The importance of licensing: Raising awareness among facilities and practitioners about the need to obtain the specific licenses for obesity surgeries, and not to exceed the authorized medical specialization.
• Transparency with the patient: Obliging doctors to explain all medical symptoms and potential complications to beneficiaries before performing the procedure, in order to ensure the provision of safe and reliable healthcare, and to promote the principle of informed consent.

Strict oversight and applicable regulations

The ministry's efforts are not limited to awareness campaigns; they are supported by intensive field inspection tours to ensure that facilities and practitioners comply with the health regulations in force in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These regulations include:

• Health professions practice system.
• The executive regulations for the private health institutions system.
• Medical equipment and supplies system.
• The system of pharmaceutical and herbal establishments and products.

In closing, the Ministry of Health called on all health facilities and health practitioners to fully comply with the approved regulations and rules, stressing that adherence to these standards is the only way to enhance the safety of medical procedures, and that it is continuing its awareness and monitoring efforts to achieve the highest quality standards in health services provided to citizens and residents.