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Professionalism and Professional Standards for Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia

Pharmacist professionalism course for Saudi Arabia covering licence scope, Mumaris Plus renewal, technician supervision, sales targets and error reporting. For SCFHS-registered pharmacists, with certificate and reflection.

  • 3hours of learning
  • 11sections
  • 20final questions
  • 80%pass mark
  • Online and self-paced, on any device
  • Reflective account template
  • Knowledge checks in every section
  • Certificate the day you pass

Written for practice in Saudi ArabiaUpdated 2 November 2026

Which of these is your situation?

At a glance

Who it is for
SCFHS-registered, MOH-licensed pharmacists in community, chain and hospital pharmacy, Saudi and expatriate, including pharmacists in charge of a branch or department
Laws and codes
Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions (M/59, 1426H) and Executive Regulations; SCFHS Code of Ethics; SCFHS classification and re-registration rules; Seha licensing; SFDA pharmacy establishment law and error-reporting guidance; Labour Law hours; Personal Data Protection Law
Complaint routes covered
Employer audit, 937, MOH or SFDA inspection, investigation under Article 40, the Violations Committee, the Sharia Health Panel and appeals to the Board of Grievances
Format
Online and self-paced in 11 sections and 28 lessons, with community, chain and hospital cases and a knowledge check after each section
Assessment
A 20-question scenario-based final assessment; pass mark 80%
Certificate
A certificate of completion that carries the date, the course title, the number of learning hours and its own unique ID.
Best taken with
Ethics and Ethical Standards for Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia for dispensing decisions and controlled medicines; Social Media and Health Advertising Rules Course for Saudi Practitioners if online content is your main concern
Learning time
3 hours of learning, self-paced online on any device, with 12 months of access. Your progress is saved to your account.
Price
SAR 279 for one course. Savings apply automatically in the cart when you buy several.

In short

A pharmacist in Saudi Arabia is judged on conduct as much as on pharmacology. Whether your title matches your SCFHS classification, whether your registration and Seha licence are in date, who checks a technician's work while you pray or rest, how you answer a sales target, what you accept from a company and whether a near miss reaches a report all have written answers in the Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions, the SCFHS Code of Ethics, SFDA rules and employer policy. This course sets those answers out for community, chain and hospital pharmacists, and explains the 40-hour CPD requirement and Mumaris Plus renewal step by step. It also shows how the same standards are applied when a concern reaches your manager, 937 or a committee, and it ends with a structured reflection and action plan you can keep with your CPD records.

What you will learn

  • Keep your title, role and work sites within your SCFHS classification and MOH licence.
  • Plan Mumaris Plus re-registration and 40 CPD hours so nothing lapses.
  • Supervise technicians and assistants with clear delegation and planned break cover.
  • Respond to chain targets, staffing pressure and representatives professionally.
  • Query prescribers respectfully and report errors and near misses to support learning.
  • Manage long shifts, fitness to work and your online presence within Saudi rules.

Course overview

Most professional concerns about pharmacists in Saudi Arabia are about conduct rather than pharmacology: a technician handing out medicines while the pharmacist is away, a title the SCFHS classification does not support, a shift at a branch the licence does not cover, a sales target that has quietly replaced counselling, a paid product post online or a near miss nobody reported. This course works through each of these against the Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions, its Executive Regulations, the SCFHS Code of Ethics, SFDA rules and guidance and the Labour Law, using realistic cases from community, chain and hospital pharmacies across the Kingdom.

It is written for SCFHS-registered pharmacists, Saudi and expatriate, including pharmacists in charge of a branch or department, and complements the separate pharmacy ethics course rather than repeating it. Eleven sections cover classification and licence scope, Mumaris Plus renewal and the 40-hour CPD requirement, supervising technicians, commercial pressure, representatives, prescriber communication and hospital teamwork, error reporting, workplace conduct and fatigue, and online conduct, each with a knowledge check, followed by a 20-question scenario assessment and a guided action plan.

Who this course is for

SCFHS-registered, MOH-licensed pharmacists in community, chain and hospital pharmacy.

Pharmacists
  • Community and chain pharmacists

    Targets, queues, representative visits and technicians at the counter shape your day. The course gives you the written rules behind each pressure and ways to raise a concern with evidence rather than frustration.

  • Hospital and clinical pharmacists

    Prescriber queries, handover, intervention records, formulary committee interests and protocols that have not yet been put in place for pharmacists are covered, with cases from wards, dispensaries and aseptic units.

  • Pharmacists in charge of a branch or department

    You plan break cover, induct new staff, judge safe staffing and set the tone for near-miss reporting. Each of these becomes a practical step you can document.

  • Pharmacists whose conduct has been questioned

    After an audit finding, a complaint about supervision or an online post, you need to show you know the standard and have changed. The course supplies the standard and a dated action plan.

  • Expatriate pharmacists new to the Kingdom

    Classification, registration and the Seha licence are separate steps, and rules on titles, self-promotion and photographing patients may differ from your training country. The course explains how they fit together.

  • Pharmacists approaching re-registration

    If renewal is due within the year, you can plan CPD hours, check your Mumaris Plus record and avoid a lapse, while keeping notes on what each activity changed in your practice.

The concerns this course addresses

Titles, roles and sites beyond your classification and licence

Article 2 of the Law requires an MOH licence and SCFHS registration, Article 9 keeps work within your specialty and Article 10 bars unearned titles. Concerns follow when a badge or profile claims clinical specialist status, when you cover a branch your licence was not transferred to, or when you adjust doses without a protocol your facility has put in place. In April 2024 MOH suspended a practitioner for four months for working in a specialty she was not qualified for.

Law Arts. 2, 9 and 10; SCFHS classification requirements; MOH release, April 2024

Expired registration or untrue CPD records

SCFHS registration lasts two years, renewal opens three months before expiry and a late fine applies after 31 days. Because the MOH licence depends on registration, a lapse stops lawful practice, and working on after you know of it becomes a question of honesty. Hours must also be true: signing an attendance sheet for a colleague, or listing a course you did not finish, makes your record misstate your learning.

Law Arts. 2(b) and 7; Regs. 1-6 and 2-6; SCFHS re-registration requirements

Technicians supplying without your check

Delegating a task does not delegate your responsibility for the decision to supply. Article 27 lists poor supervision among examples of malpractice, and Article 14 bars facilities from employing unlicensed staff or handling drugs improperly. Complaints usually trace back to a routine: a pharmacist away on a break while the counter carries on, or a final check dropped on busy mornings because the technician is trusted.

Law Arts. 14, 26 and 27; SCFHS Code Ch. 4 and Ch. 6

Sales targets that displace counselling

Chains measure sales value, basket size, brand share and queue time. The SCFHS Code says making money must not be the main aim of practice and warns against exploiting patients' lack of medical knowledge. Concerns arise when counselling on new medicines stops to protect a speed score, when one brand is pushed to every customer, or when loyalty data that reveals health conditions is used for marketing, which the PDPL does not allow for sensitive data.

SCFHS Code Ch. 10; Law Art. 9; PDPL

Company contact, gifts and undeclared interests

Article 12 bars benefits from drug and device companies, and the Code says to decline expensive gifts and any personal cash, loans or travel subsidies. Interests matter in committees too: a paid advisory role becomes a conflict when a formulary decision on the same product is due. Breaches of Article 12 can bring fines of up to SAR 50,000 under Article 29, and the Code asks you to disclose supplier relationships to your employer.

Law Arts. 12 and 29; SCFHS Code Ch. 10; SFDA promotional code

Errors and near misses that were not reported

SFDA's 2023 guidance on medication errors invites practitioners, facilities and pharmacies to report through Saudi Vigilance or the 19999 call centre. Concern grows when a near-miss log stays empty while errors are caught weekly, when a record is changed after the event, or when a senior pharmacist hides a mistake. Accurate, signed and dated records are a Code duty, and corrections must be dated and signed.

SFDA medication error reporting guidance (2023); SCFHS Code Ch. 9

Posts, product promotion and patient information online

Article 10 and Regulation 9-1 restrict self-promotion and commercial claims without a scientific basis, and Regulation 3-5 and Article 21 protect patient images and information. MOH suspended a licence in June 2026 over social media product claims resting on personal experience, and referred practitioners in 2024 over clips filming patients. A paid supplement review or a photographed prescription in a group chat engages the same rules.

Law Arts. 10, 12 and 21; Regs. 3-5 and 9-1; SCFHS Code Ch. 10; MOH releases 2024-2026

Long shifts, fatigue and fitness to work

Medical fitness is a licence condition under Article 2, and the Code expects you to report a colleague whose condition may endanger patients. Concerns come from a pharmacist covering a second shift alone, errors that cluster late at night, or self-treatment from pharmacy stock. For private-sector staff the Labour Law also sets daily and weekly limits and a break after five consecutive hours.

Law Art. 2(b); SCFHS Code Ch. 4 and Ch. 5; Labour Law Arts. 98-106

Detailed course outline

11 sections · 28 lessons · 38 knowledge-check questions · 3 hours of learning

Eleven sections move from the sources of a pharmacist's duties, through licence scope, renewal, supervision, commercial pressure and teamwork, to reporting, fitness, online conduct and your own action plan. Each section ends with a short knowledge check.

  1. 1Professional standards for pharmacists in Saudi Arabia3 lessons · 4 checks

    Professional standards as visible behaviour, the Law, SCFHS Code, SFDA and Labour Law as sources of duty, who judges your conduct, and how a small concern becomes a formal process.

    • 1.1
      What professional standards mean in a Saudi pharmacyStandards you can see · Ethics and professional standards: the difference · Who judges your professional conduct
    • 1.2
      Where a pharmacist's professional duties come fromThe Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions · The SCFHS Code of Ethics for Healthcare Practitioners · SFDA and the rules for pharmacy establishments · Employment law and facility policy
    • 1.3
      How concerns about a pharmacist's conduct ariseWhere concerns come from · What a formal process can look like · Responding early and well
    • Section 1 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
  2. 2Working within your classification, licence and pharmacy rules3 lessons · 4 checks

    How SCFHS classification, registration and the Seha licence differ, why titles must match your category, checking licensing before moving branches, and what to do when asked to bend a pharmacy rule.

    • 2.1
      Your SCFHS classification and what it permitsTwo steps at SCFHS · Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians · Specialty within pharmacy · Checking your own position
    • 2.2
      Your MOH licence, Seha and the facility linkThe licence conditions · How Seha works for practitioners · Moving between employers and branches · Why the paperwork is professional
    • 2.3
      Pharmacy rules as professional dutiesRules that depend on you · New services and protocols · When an employer asks you to bend a rule
    • Section 2 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
  3. 3Registration renewal and CPD through Mumaris Plus3 lessons · 3 checks

    The two-year registration cycle, the 40-hour requirement, how hours reach Mumaris Plus or go through recognition, and keeping CPD records honest and linked to changes in practice.

    • 3.1
      Keeping your registration and licence in dateThe re-registration cycle · Why lapses happen · If you discover a lapse
    • 3.2
      The 40-hour requirement and how hours reach your recordThe legal basis and the figures · How hours reach Mumaris Plus · Rules that protect the integrity of hours
    • 3.3
      Honest CPD and learning that changes practiceWhere honesty is tested · Choosing learning that matters · Linking learning to change
    • Section 3 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
  4. 4Supervising pharmacy technicians and assistants3 lessons · 4 checks

    Accountability when you delegate, who you may be supervising, what stays with the pharmacist, planning breaks, prayer and Ramadan cover, induction sign-off and fair responses when a technician errs.

    • 4.1
      Accountability when you delegateDelegation is not transfer · Who you may be supervising · What to delegate and what to keep
    • 4.2
      Supervision in practiceBuilding supervision into the workflow · Breaks, prayer and Ramadan · Induction and sign-off
    • 4.3
      Developing technicians and responding when supervision failsTeaching as part of supervision · Respect and fairness · When a technician's practice falls short
    • Section 4 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
  5. 5Commercial and sales-target pressure in chain pharmacies2 lessons · 3 checks

    How chain targets and dashboards shift behaviour, warning signs of drift, separating legitimate goals from conflicts, raising staffing concerns with evidence and handling loyalty-scheme health data.

    • 5.1
      How targets and performance systems shape pharmacist behaviourWhat chains measure · How drift happens · Warning signs · Patient data and loyalty programmes
    • 5.2
      Responding professionally to commercial pressureSorting legitimate goals from conflicts · Raising concerns that managers can act on · Safe staffing as a professional issue · Documenting decisions
    • Section 5 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
  6. 6Professional relationships with pharmaceutical company representatives2 lessons · 3 checks

    Boundaries on representative visits, testing promotional claims, declaring interests, stepping out of formulary decisions, and checking speaking or advisory roles before you accept them.

    • 6.1
      Managing contact with representativesWhy the relationship needs managing · Boundaries on time and access · Evaluating what you are told · Representatives who were once colleagues
    • 6.2
      Committees, speaking roles and declaring interestsHow conflicts arise · Formulary and therapeutics committees · Speaking and advisory roles · Everyday conflicts in community pharmacy
    • Section 6 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
  7. 7Prescribers, hospital teams and raising concerns3 lessons · 4 checks

    Choosing the right channel and tone with prescribers, recording interventions, structured handover, multinational teamwork and raising concerns about colleagues or systems at the lowest effective level.

    • 7.1
      Professional communication with prescribersChoosing the channel · Tone and framing · What the patient hears · Recording interventions
    • 7.2
      Teamwork in hospital pharmacyInterdependent roles · Handover between shifts · Working with nurses and physicians · Multinational teams
    • 7.3
      Raising concerns about practice, colleagues and systemsWhen to raise a concern · Choosing the route · How to raise a concern well · Looking after yourself when you raise a concern
    • Section 7 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
  8. 8Medication-error reporting as professional behaviour2 lessons · 3 checks

    Medication errors, near misses and adverse reactions, facility and SFDA reporting routes, just culture, the behaviours of senior pharmacists and honesty with patients after an error.

    • 8.1
      Reporting errors and near missesWhat you are reporting · Where to report · Why near misses matter
    • 8.2
      Building a reporting and learning cultureJust culture · Behaviours that shape reporting · From reports to improvement · Reporting and honesty with patients
    • Section 8 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
  9. 9Workplace conduct, long shifts and fitness to work3 lessons · 4 checks

    Reliability, identification and courtesy at work, harassment, Labour Law limits on hours and rest, how fatigue causes errors, burnout, self-treatment and supporting a colleague who is unwell.

    • 9.1
      Conduct at workReliability · Identification and appearance · Courtesy under pressure · Respect among colleagues
    • 9.2
      Long shifts, fatigue and the Labour LawHow fatigue causes error · What the Labour Law says · Practical steps
    • 9.3
      Your health and fitness to workHealth and the licence · Stress and burnout in pharmacy · Medicines, self-treatment and access · Supporting colleagues
    • Section 9 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
  10. 10Professional image and social media2 lessons · 3 checks

    Article 10, Regulation 9-1 and the SCFHS Code on self-promotion, MOH enforcement, paid product content, titles online, patient images and information, and safe habits on messaging apps.

    • 10.1
      Self-promotion, product content and titles onlineThe rules · What the Ministry of Health has done · Why product content is a particular risk for pharmacists · Titles and credentials online
    • 10.2
      Patient privacy online and safe habitsThe rules on patient information and images · How pharmacists expose information without meaning to · Safe habits online · Responding to online criticism
    • Section 10 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
  11. 11Reflection and professional action planning2 lessons · 3 checks

    A structured self-review, a reflective model, safe writing about events, specific goals with dates and the evidence you will keep for your CPD records.

    • 11.1
      Reviewing your own professional practiceA structured self-review · Using a reflective model · Keeping reflections safe
    • 11.2
      Your personal professional action planWriting goals that work · Evidence · Building the plan
    • Section 11 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
  12. Final assessment: 20 scenario-based questions, 80% to passthen your certificate

Knowledge checks, final assessment and certificate

Knowledge checks

38questions across the sections

  • A short check at the end of every section
  • Feedback that explains why each answer is right or wrong
  • Use them to find gaps before the final assessment

Final assessment

20scenario-based questions

  • Pass mark 80%: 16 correct out of 20
  • Tests whether you can apply the rules, not recall a page
  • Not passed yet? Review the sections and retake it

What the final scenarios test

  • Working before a Seha licence transfer is complete
  • Delegating to technicians and covering prayer breaks
  • Chain targets, loyalty data and representative claims
  • Near misses, shift limits and paid product posts

Certificate of completion

A dated certificate of completion for your learning portfolio. It records the course, the hours of learning and your result; SCFHS decides how any learning counts towards your registration.

  • Your name, the course title and the hours of learning
  • Completion date and a unique certificate ID that can be verified
  • Ready to download as a PDF as soon as you complete the course

How practitioners use it

  • A dated record of focused learning on professional standards, to place beside your own written reflection in a reply to your employer, an inspection finding or a committee.
  • Material for your CPD file with your notes on what changed. SCFHS decides how any learning counts; you can apply through the Recognition of CPD Hours service on Mumaris Plus.
  • Evidence for a pharmacy manager or director of pharmacy that you completed learning agreed after a supervision, conduct or reporting concern.
  • A starting point for appraisal or mentoring conversations about delegation, targets and online conduct.

Your reflective account template

The course includes a structured reflective account template: guided prompts to record what you learned, how you will apply it and how the change will show in your practice. It gives you written evidence of insight after a concern, and a ready record for your CPD portfolio.

Section 11 guides a structured self-review across classification, renewal, supervision, commercial pressure, reporting, conduct and online presence, then a personal action plan with goals, evidence and dates.

Write it in your own words and leave out anything that could identify a patient, a colleague or a case. If you have an open complaint or case, talk to your adviser before reflecting on it in writing.

How Saudi rules turn pharmacist conduct into enforceable duties

Professional behaviour is often treated as a matter of character. In the Kingdom a good deal of it is written down. The Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions, issued by Royal Decree No. M/59 in 1426H, applies to every licensed practitioner, including pharmacists, and its Executive Regulations add detail. Article 2 requires a licence and SCFHS registration, Article 7 requires you to keep your knowledge current, Article 9 keeps you within your specialty, Article 10 limits advertising and titles, Article 12 bars company benefits and Article 27 names poor supervision as malpractice.

Your right to practise is built in layers. SCFHS first classifies you after verifying your qualifications, then registers you, and registration must be renewed every two years with the CPD hours SCFHS sets. The MOH licence then follows through Seha, where your employer applies, renews and transfers it. Because each layer depends on the one before, an expired registration or an unrecorded move between branches can end lawful practice even when your clinical knowledge is unchanged.

A pharmacy is also a place where establishment rules meet one person. The SFDA law on pharmaceutical establishments and its Executive Regulation govern sourcing, samples, expired stock and counterfeit products, but the owner is rarely at the counter when a delivery arrives without paperwork. Article 13 gives pharmacies as an example of premises not licensed for examining patients, and Article 14 bars improper handling of drugs. In practice the pharmacist on duty decides whether these rules are followed.

The SCFHS Code of Ethics fills the space around those provisions. Its chapters on colleagues, on yourself, on your profession, on documentation and on financial affairs cover respect for technicians, honest records, gifts, media statements and reporting an impaired colleague. Employer policy then adds the detail of your shift, and the Labour Law sets hours and rest for private-sector staff. Nobody can read your intentions, so each of these sources is judged through what others can observe and what the records show.

When a concern is raised, the question is usually the same: which duty applied, what happened to the patient or the system, and what you have changed. A pharmacist who can name the provision, explain why it exists and show a dated procedure or log gives a reader reason to treat the matter as dealt with. A reply that offers only regret and a promise to take more care leaves that question open.

Responding to a concern about your conduct

A concern about supervision, scope or online conduct tends to be judged on the record you can produce and the change you can show. These steps keep your reply organised and factual.

  1. Pause and get advice

    Read the letter or message for dates, note every deadline and speak to your pharmacy director, HR or a lawyer. Do not alter any record after the event; if something must be added, make it a dated addendum.

    In the course: Section 1 explains the routes a concern can take.

  2. Establish what rule was in play

    Work out whether the source was the Law, an Executive Regulation, the SCFHS Code, SFDA guidance or your employer's procedure, and read the passage in full.

    In the course: Sections 2 to 10 set each source against typical pharmacy situations.

  3. Write a short factual chronology

    Set out dates, times, who was on duty and what you did, drawing on dispensing, rota and incident records rather than memory alone.

    In the course: Section 4 shows what supervision records and rotas should hold.

  4. Own your part without blaming others

    Say plainly what you did or failed to do, acknowledge the effect on the patient or team, and leave out guesses about colleagues' motives.

    In the course: Section 7 covers raising and answering concerns fairly.

  5. Show the change and how you check it

    Name the new procedure, give its start date, say how you check it and attach anonymised examples such as a rota note or log extract.

    In the course: Section 11 turns this into a dated action plan.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Before you reply to your employer, MOH, SFDA, SCFHS or a committee, speak to your employer's legal or HR function or to a lawyer.

How this course helps with a complaint or investigation

  • It links each duty to its source

    Replies often say a pharmacist now understands supervision. Fewer name Article 27, the facility procedure and the reason the final check exists. The course teaches that connection so your account reads as understanding.

  • It gives you workplace tools

    Break-cover procedures, an induction checklist, a near-miss review cycle and a structure for writing to a manager about staffing are all included, so change can be shown in documents rather than described.

  • It builds reflection around one real event

    The final section walks through what happened, what you thought, what the standard required and what you do now, in an order that suits a reply to an employer or panel.

  • It matches the remedy to the cause

    Training suits a knowledge gap, coaching suits a shortcut and a changed rota suits a system problem. The course helps you decide which fits and how to evidence it.

Remediation evidence that carries weight

Carries weight

  • A reflection in your own words that names the rule, why it exists and the effect on patients
  • A dated break-cover or delegation procedure for your branch, shared with staff
  • A signed induction checklist for a new technician or pharmacist
  • A near-miss log with monthly review notes and one change made as a result
  • A Mumaris Plus screenshot with a calendar plan for renewal and CPD
  • A letter to your manager on a target or staffing concern, with figures and an alternative

Carries little weight

  • Certificates with no link to the concern
  • Statements that you have always been careful
  • Long quotations from the Law without applying them to what happened
  • Pointing out that other branches work the same way
  • Blaming the technician, manager or patient
  • Promises to be more careful with no dated change

A remediation plan, phase by phase

  1. Weeks 1-2

    Advice, facts and the right rule

    • Speak to your director of pharmacy, HR or a lawyer and note every deadline.
    • Write a chronology from rota, dispensing and incident records.
    • Identify the provision or procedure that applied and read it in full.

  2. Weeks 2-6

    Learn and reflect

    • Complete the course and mark the sections your concern touches.
    • Draft a reflection using the six steps in Section 11.
    • Have your adviser read the draft before it goes anywhere.

  3. Weeks 6-12

    Change practice

    • Put the new break-cover, checking or reporting procedure in writing.
    • Brief your team and ask each person to confirm they have read it.
    • Keep anonymised examples showing the procedure in use.

  4. Months 3-12

    Sustain and review

    • Check your Mumaris Plus record and licence dates every quarter.
    • Review near-miss and intervention counts with your team each month.
    • Update your reflection and action plan at three and six months.

Writing your reflective statement

  1. Describe the event

    State what happened, when, your role and the outcome, leaving out names.

    Example only: As a hospital outpatient pharmacist in Tabuk, I kept dispensing for nine days after my SCFHS registration expired because I had not checked the date.

  2. Name the pressures at the time

    Say what was pulling you away from the safer course and how you weighed it.

    Example only: A staff shortage and a busy clinic made me assume HR was tracking the date, and I gave the renewal window no attention.

  3. Identify the standard

    Name the provision or procedure that applied and why it exists.

    Example only: Article 2 makes SCFHS registration a condition of the licence, so patients can rely on every supplying pharmacist being currently registered.

  4. Acknowledge the impact

    Describe the effect on patients, colleagues and trust in the service.

    Example only: Dispensing records from those nine days had to be reviewed, my colleagues covered extra checks and my director lost confidence in my planning.

  5. Explain what you learned

    Say what you did not know or had stopped doing.

    Example only: I had treated renewal as an employer task. I now know HR tracks the MOH licence while the SCFHS date and CPD hours are mine to manage.

  6. Describe the changes and how you keep them

    List the changes, when they began and how they are checked.

    Example only: Since April I review my Mumaris Plus record on the first day of each quarter and my director sees a screenshot at appraisal.

The example sentences are fictional and show structure only. Your own account has to be honest and specific to what happened.

A weak and a strong response, side by side

Illustrative case. A pharmacist in charge of a chain branch in Madinah is told to reach a monthly target for a private-label cough syrup. Staff begin recommending it to every parent, a mother later complains through 937 that it was pushed for her toddler without advice on when to see a doctor, and the area manager asks for a response.

Weak responseStrong response
The syrup is registered and safe, and the target came from head office. My staff only did what the dashboard rewards. The mother was anxious and misunderstood our advice. I have worked here for six years without a complaint and I will make sure staff are more careful.Counselling on that sale was too short and the syrup was suggested because of the target, not the child's symptoms. The SCFHS Code says money must not be the main aim of practice and warns against exploiting patients' lack of knowledge. The mother left without advice on warning signs. I have written to the area manager asking for counselling to be recorded beside sales, I ask staff to start with symptoms and referral advice, and I review ten recorded cough consultations with my team each month.

Why the second one works: The strong reply names what was done, cites the standard, accepts the effect on the patient and describes checked changes. The weak reply defends the product, shifts responsibility to head office and the mother, and offers only a promise.

Mistakes practitioners make when responding

Blaming the target system alone

Targets may explain pressure, but your licence is personal. A reply that stops at the company's dashboard leaves your own judgement unexamined.

Relying on a long record of safe practice

Years without a complaint do not show that a procedure was followed on this occasion.

Editing records afterwards

Changing a log or register after a concern arises looks worse than the original lapse. Use a dated addendum and take advice.

Quoting rules from another country

Cite the Saudi Law, its Regulations, the SCFHS Code, SFDA rules and your facility procedure, not the pharmacy council of your training country.

Blaming the technician

A reply that places the error on the technician ignores your duty to supervise and check, and sounds unwilling to learn.

Stopping at the certificate

Without a dated procedure, log or plan, a certificate shows only that you studied.

The rules this course works through

References are to the Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions and its Executive Regulations, the SCFHS Code and SFDA guidance, as covered in the course.

  • Art. 2

    Licence and registration

    No practice without an MOH licence, and SCFHS registration is a condition of that licence. Renewal of the licence must be applied for at least one month before expiry under the Executive Regulations.

    In the course: Sections 2 and 3 cover classification, Seha and renewal.

  • Art. 7 and Regs. 1-6, 2-6

    Keeping knowledge current

    Practitioners must keep up with developments in their field, SCFHS sets the CPD hours and employers must let staff complete them without harming patient care.

    In the course: Section 3 explains the 40-hour figure and recognition.

  • Arts. 14 and 27

    Staffing and supervision

    Facilities must not employ unlicensed staff or handle drugs improperly, and poor supervision is among the examples of malpractice that can lead to liability.

    In the course: Sections 4 and 5 cover delegation and safe staffing.

  • Art. 12

    Commissions and company benefits

    You take nothing for directing patients elsewhere, and you accept no benefits from drug or device companies. Breaches can carry fines of up to SAR 50,000 under Article 29.

    In the course: Section 6 covers representatives and declared interests.

  • Art. 10 and Reg. 9-1

    Self-promotion and titles

    No self-advertising except as the Regulations allow, no unearned titles and no commercial promotion lacking a scientific basis.

    In the course: Section 10 sets this against MOH enforcement cases.

  • Art. 21 and Reg. 3-5

    Confidentiality and images

    Information learned in practice is confidential, and photographing or publishing procedures needs written patient consent and facility permission.

    In the course: Section 10 covers prescriptions, screens and messaging groups.

Also relevant: Art. 9 on working within your specialty; Art. 13 on examining patients in unlicensed premises; Art. 28 on practising without a licence; Art. 39 on temporary suspension; SCFHS Code Ch. 4, Ch. 9 and Ch. 10; SFDA medication error guidance (2023); Labour Law Arts. 98-106.

How this applies in each pharmacy setting

Community pharmacyPharmacies that are privately run, including those serving a local neighbourhood

Single-pharmacist cover, supplier offers, split packs and requests from regulars are common. Break cover, expired stock and relabelling requests become decisions you make alone.

Chain pharmacy branchesRetail chains and franchise groups

Dashboards, scripts, rotating branch cover and loyalty schemes shape the day. Licensing for each site, safe staffing and the use of customer health data need your attention.

Hospital dispensary and wardsGovernment, military and private hospitals

Handover, prescriber queries, aseptic timing and representative visit policies dominate. Intervention records and agreed terminology keep multinational teams safe.

Clinical pharmacy and committeesFormulary and therapeutics roles

Dose-adjustment services need a protocol and recorded competence before you begin. Paid advisory roles must be declared, and you should leave decisions on the related product.

Pharmacists in chargeBranch and department leadership

You answer for rotas, induction, near-miss culture and inspection readiness. Your own reporting of mistakes sets the example your team follows.

How a concern about a pharmacist usually travels

Most concerns about pharmacists are settled inside the employer. The stages below follow the formal route in the Law and its Executive Regulations when a matter goes further.

  1. Observation or complaint

    A patient, prescriber, auditor, inspector or member of the public raises a concern, including through 937 or a report about social media content.

  2. Employer or inspection review

    The employer may ask for your account and review records, rotas and stock, and MOH or SFDA inspectors may look at premises, products and staffing.

  3. Formal claim and investigation

    A harmed person or their heirs may file a claim with the facility or regional health affairs director. Investigations should finish within 30 days, extendable once by 30, and a travel bar of 30 plus 30 days is possible.

  4. Referral or dismissal

    If evidence is insufficient, dismissal may be recommended. Compensation, death or loss of an organ go to the Sharia Health Panel, which includes a pharmacist in pharmacy cases; other breaches go to the Violations Committee.

  5. Hearing and notice

    Notices are served through your employer, and electronic notices and hearings are allowed. The panel or committee decides after hearing the case.

  6. Appeal

    Decisions of the panel and committee can be appealed to the Board of Grievances within 60 days of notification, and a ministerial suspension within 30 days.

Possible outcomes and what they mean for you

These are the penalties stated in the Law. Which one applies, if any, depends on the facts, and no course can predict it.

OutcomeWhat it isWhat it means for you
Dismissal or local resolutionThe evidence is insufficient or the employer resolves the matter through supervision or coaching.More likely where the issue was isolated and you had already acted.
WarningA disciplinary penalty under Article 32.Often follows a first lapse with insight shown.
FineUp to SAR 10,000 as a disciplinary penalty; up to SAR 50,000 for breaches of Arts. 10, 12 and 13 and listed parts of 14; up to SAR 20,000 for other breaches.Product promotion, company benefits and unearned titles fall in the higher band.
CompensationDiya, arsh or other compensation set by the Sharia Health Panel where harm is proven.Insurance arrangements differ, so take advice early.
Temporary suspensionThe Minister may suspend where there is evidence of a serious violation and risk to patients (Art. 39).You cannot practise during suspension; appeal within 30 days.
Licence cancellationCancellation and removal from the register, with no new application for two years (Art. 32).Lawful practice ends, as an MOH licence depends on registration.
Criminal penaltyFor practising without a licence and similar offences: up to 6 months' imprisonment and/or up to SAR 100,000 (Art. 28).Rare in conduct cases, but it shows why site licensing matters.

If you have been asked to complete education

Sometimes an employer, director of pharmacy or committee asks a pharmacist to complete learning after a concern. If the request names a course, provider or format, only the body that made it can say whether this course meets it. Send the outline, the section count, the knowledge checks, the final assessment and the learning time, and ask for written confirmation before you enrol.

Afterwards you will usually be asked for the certificate and a reflection. Use the template in Section 11, tie it to the specific concern and keep dated copies of everything you send.

Using this course as CPD

SCFHS registration is renewed every two years, and CPD hours are checked at that point. SCFHS lists 40 hours for pharmacists and 20 for pharmacy technicians. If hours are incomplete, SCFHS renews for one year only, a concession that can be used once.

Hours from CPD activities registered with SCFHS inside the Kingdom normally reach Mumaris Plus after the provider confirms attendance. This course does not award SCFHS CPD hours. SCFHS decides how any learning counts towards your registration; you can apply through the Recognition of CPD Hours service on Mumaris Plus, which SCFHS lists at SAR 100 with a 30 business day service time.

Check your hours six months before expiry, because recognition requests take time. Keep a note of what each activity changed in your practice, which is useful at appraisal even if SCFHS decides differently.

SCFHS registration renewal

Written for pharmacists planning re-registration: it explains the renewal cycle, the 40-hour requirement and how hours reach Mumaris Plus. The certificate records 3 hours; SCFHS decides how it counts, and you can apply for recognition through Mumaris Plus.

A 937 complaint or committee case

Where a concern is about supervision, scope, conduct, error reporting or online behaviour, the course helps you show you know the standard and have changed. It does not affect any decision; agree its use with your employer or adviser.

Key terms explained

SCFHS
The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties classifies and registers practitioners, and it also sets CPD hours and publishes the Code of Ethics.
Mumaris Plus
The SCFHS portal for classification, registration, re-registration and CPD recognition requests.
Seha
Your employer uses the MOH platform to apply for your practising licence, renew it and transfer it.
Professional classification
The SCFHS review of your qualifications and experience that assigns your professional category.
Recognition of CPD Hours
The Mumaris Plus service for asking SCFHS to consider learning that did not reach your record automatically.
SFDA
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority, regulator of medicines, devices and pharmaceutical establishments.
Saudi Vigilance
The SFDA reporting system at ade.sfda.gov.sa for adverse reactions and medication errors.
Near miss
An error found before it reaches the patient, such as a wrong strength caught at the final check.
937
The MOH call centre and digital portal that records complaints about health services and follows them up.

FAQالأسئلة الشائعة

Questions about this course

How is this different from the pharmacy ethics course?

The ethics course for pharmacists deals with dispensing decisions, controlled medicines, confidentiality and what you may accept from companies. This course covers the professional frame around those decisions: working within your classification and licence, supervising technicians, commercial targets, managing representatives and declaring interests, communicating with prescribers, reporting errors, conduct, fatigue and online behaviour. The two can be taken separately or together.

Will this course give me SCFHS CPD hours?

No. The course does not award SCFHS hours. SCFHS decides how any learning counts towards your CPD. You can submit learning through the Recognition of CPD Hours service on Mumaris Plus, which SCFHS says costs SAR 100 and takes 30 business days.

How many CPD hours do pharmacists need for SCFHS re-registration?

SCFHS lists 40 hours for pharmacists and 20 for pharmacy technicians at re-registration, which is due every two years. If the hours are incomplete, SCFHS says it renews for one year only, a concession that can be used once. Section 3 explains how hours reach your Mumaris Plus record and how to plan ahead.

Am I responsible for errors made by a technician I supervise?

Delegating a task does not transfer your professional responsibility for the decision to supply. Art. 27 of the Law lists poor supervision among examples of malpractice, and facilities must not employ unlicensed staff under Art. 14. Section 4 sets out what to delegate, what to keep and how to plan cover for breaks and prayer times.

What can I do if my chain's sales targets conflict with good practice?

Section 5 shows how to separate legitimate commercial goals from instructions that conflict with professional duties, and how to raise a concern with specifics, evidence and a practical alternative. It also covers staffing, loyalty schemes and health data under the Personal Data Protection Law. The course cannot settle a dispute with an employer, but it helps you respond professionally and keep a record.

Does the course cover working hours and long shifts?

Yes. Section 9 summarises the Labour Law limits that apply to private-sector employees, including eight hours a day or 48 a week, six or 36 in Ramadan for Muslim workers and a break after five consecutive hours, and explains how fatigue affects checking. Government employees work under their own rules, so check your contract.

I am an expatriate pharmacist new to Saudi Arabia. Is it suitable?

Yes. It explains how SCFHS classification, Mumaris Plus registration and the Seha licence fit together, why titles must match your classification, and where Saudi expectations may differ from those you trained under, such as the rules on self-promotion and photographing patients.

How is the course assessed?

Each of the eleven sections ends with a short knowledge check. To finish, you answer 20 scenario-based questions and need 80% to pass, then complete a guided self-review and action plan that you can keep with your CPD records.

What should I do if I find my SCFHS registration has expired?

Stop practising, tell your manager and contact SCFHS through Mumaris Plus, the contact centre or Tawasul. A late fine applies after 31 days, and after a year a new registration is generally needed. Section 3 sets out the steps.

Can I cover a branch in another city or help a friend's pharmacy?

Not until you have confirmed that you are licensed for that site. Ask HR to confirm in writing, and note that practising without a licence carries criminal penalties under Article 28. Section 2 covers branch moves and second jobs.

Can I post paid product reviews on my own account?

This is high risk. Article 10 and Regulation 9-1 restrict promotion without a scientific basis, Article 12 limits company benefits and MOH acted in June 2026 over product claims. Section 10 explains safer alternatives.

Who should I report a medication error to outside my employer?

Report inside your facility first, then use SFDA's routes: Saudi Vigilance or the 19999 call centre. Section 8 shows which events go where and why near misses should be logged too.

How this course is written and kept current

The course draws on the Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions and its Executive Regulations, the SCFHS Code of Ethics, SCFHS classification and re-registration pages, MOH licensing material, SFDA guidance, SDAIA guidance on the PDPL and MOH releases. Points we could not confirm from a primary source have been left out.

Cases are illustrative and describe no real patients or pharmacists. When a rule changes, the affected lessons and questions are reviewed, and reported errors in legal or regulatory facts are corrected first.

Page updated 2 November 2026

Our editorial standardsAbout usDisclaimer

Primary sources

The laws, codes and pages this page and the course rely on. Always check the current text with the issuing body.

  1. Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions (MOH English text)moh.gov.sa
  2. Executive Regulations of the Law (MOH, Arabic)moh.gov.sa
  3. SCFHS Code of Ethics for Healthcare Practitionersscfhs.org.sa
  4. SCFHS re-registration requirementsscfhs.org.sa
  5. SCFHS Mumaris Plus FAQscfhs.org.sa
  6. MOH Healthcare Licensing guide (Seha)static.moh.gov.sa
  7. SFDA guidance on adverse drug reaction reporting for healthcare professionalssfda.gov.sa
  8. SDAIA guide to the Personal Data Protection Lawdgp.sdaia.gov.sa
  9. MOH release on a licence suspension over social media promotion (June 2026)moh.gov.sa
  10. MOH 937 services (my.gov.sa)my.gov.sa

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