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Ethics and Ethical Standards for Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia
Pharmacy ethics course for pharmacists in Saudi Arabia covering antibiotic requests, controlled medicines, prescription checks, confidentiality and company gifts. Ends with a certificate and reflective account.
- 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
Which of these is your situation?
- Antibiotic requestA customer asks for an antibiotic or another prescription-only medicine without a prescription.
- Doubtful prescriptionA prescription is incomplete or looks unsafe, or a prescriber insists on a dose you question.
- Controlled medicineA forged prescription, an altered quantity or a register count that does not match.
- Information sharedA relative, employer, insurer or messaging group received details of a patient's medicines.
- Gifts or incentivesA company, clinic or owner offers a reward tied to what you dispense or recommend.
- Dispensing errorA wrong strength or a wrong bag reached a patient and a complaint followed.
- Stock or target pressureUndocumented, expired or doubtful stock, or an instruction from a manager you believe is unlawful.
- Committee or panelYour case has reached an investigation, the Violations Committee or the Sharia Health Panel.
- Renewal CPDNo concern: you want structured ethics learning before SCFHS re-registration.
At a glance
- Who it is for
- Pharmacists registered with SCFHS and licensed through MOH: community, hospital, primary care and clinical pharmacists, whether trained in the Kingdom or abroad
- Laws and codes
- Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions and its Executive Regulations; the narcotics law (M/39) and SFDA controlled drug procedures; Law of Pharmaceutical and Herbal Establishments and Preparations (2020); SFDA promotional code; SCFHS Code of Ethics; Personal Data Protection Law
- Complaint routes covered
- 937 and facility complaints, MOH and SFDA inspection, investigation under Article 40, the Committee for Violations of the Law, the Sharia Health Panel and appeals to the Board of Grievances
- Format
- Online and self-paced in 11 sections, with Saudi dispensary and ward cases and a six-step decision method
- Assessment
- A knowledge check after each section and 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 certificate ID
- Best taken with
- Safe Prescribing and Controlled Medicines Course in Saudi Arabia for more prescribing detail; Professionalism and Professional Standards for Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia for the wider conduct side of pharmacy practice
- 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 is often the last professional to handle a medicine before it reaches the patient, and in a community pharmacy sometimes the only one the patient speaks to. That position carries legal duties as well as ethical ones. Whether you may hand over an antibiotic without a prescription, how a controlled drug register must be kept, what you may tell a patient's relative and what a company may offer you are all questions with written answers in Saudi law, SFDA rules or the SCFHS Code. This course teaches those answers for pharmacists, gives you a six-step method for situations the rules leave open, and explains how the same standards are applied when a concern reaches 937, an inspector or a committee. It ends with a structured reflection and an action plan you can keep.
What you will learn
- Check prescriptions for legal validity and clinical safety, and query prescribers effectively.
- Handle antibiotic and other prescription-only requests lawfully while keeping patients' trust.
- Apply the narcotics law and SFDA procedures to controlled medicine supply, registers and discrepancies.
- Protect patient information under Article 21 of the Law, the SCFHS code and the PDPL.
- Judge company gifts, samples, commissions and advertising against SFDA and SCFHS rules.
- Respond honestly to errors, report adverse reactions and build a personal action plan.
Course overview
Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia make ethical decisions under legal rules at almost every counter and ward. This course covers valid prescriptions and the clinical check, MOH's position on antibiotics without a prescription, the narcotics law and SFDA procedures for controlled medicines, counselling across languages and cultures, confidentiality under Article 21 and the PDPL, gifts and incentives under SFDA's promotional code and Article 12, dispensing errors, Saudi Vigilance reporting, counterfeit and expired stock, and how complaints and investigations work.
It is designed for SCFHS-registered pharmacists in community, hospital and primary care practice, whether trained in the Kingdom or abroad, and for pharmacists reflecting on their practice after a complaint or review. Every section uses Saudi cases, ends with a knowledge check, and the course finishes with structured reflection and a personal action plan. SCFHS decides how any learning counts towards your registration; you can apply to SCFHS to have learning recognised.
Who this course is for
Pharmacists registered with SCFHS and licensed through MOH in community, hospital and primary care pharmacy in Saudi Arabia.
- Community pharmacists and owners
Night-shift antibiotic requests, regular customers who expect favours, sales targets and arrangements with nearby clinics all put pressure on the counter. The course gives you the written rules and calm ways to hold the line.
- Hospital and clinical pharmacists
You verify inpatient orders, handle high-alert medicines and sometimes need to challenge a senior consultant. The lessons cover querying doses, speaking up across hierarchy and antimicrobial stewardship.
- Pharmacists who handle controlled medicines
Registers, stamped prescriptions, secure storage and count discrepancies are legal duties under the narcotics law. The course also shows how to stay fair to patients in genuine pain while watching for diversion.
- Pharmacists trained outside Saudi Arabia
Prescription-only supply, controlled drug records, generic substitution and company gifts are handled differently in many countries. The course points out where earlier habits may not match Saudi requirements.
- Pharmacists after an error, inspection or complaint
A wrong bag, an inspector's finding or a 937 complaint calls for a factual account and visible change. The course supports honest disclosure, a structured reflection and an action plan with dates.
- Pharmacists preparing for re-registration
You want assessed ethics learning written for your profession, with a certificate and reflection for your portfolio before your two-year SCFHS registration is renewed.
The concerns this course addresses
Antibiotics and other prescription-only requests
MOH has stated, citing the Executive Regulations, that no medicine requiring a prescription may be dispensed without one from a prescriber licensed in the Kingdom, and that antibiotics are included. Its 2018 campaign inspected pharmacies, announced penalties including fines, licence revocation and imprisonment, and invited the public to report breaches through 937. Complaints often start with a refused customer, a patient who says another pharmacy complied, or an owner who wants the sale.
Executive Regulations of the Law; MOH 2018 antibiotic campaign statement; Law Art. 14
Unclear or unsafe prescriptions
A prescription is a safety layer only if someone checks it. The SCFHS Code lists what a prescription should carry, and pharmacists are expected to query missing doses, implausible quantities and dangerous combinations. Concerns arise when a decimal error, a weekly drug written as daily or an interaction was dispensed without a call, or when a pharmacist accepted a senior prescriber's reassurance without escalating.
SCFHS Code Ch. 4 and Ch. 9; Law Arts. 14 and 26-27
Controlled medicines, registers and forged prescriptions
Narcotic and psychotropic medicines may be dispensed only against a prescription from a licensed physician, dentist or veterinarian. The prescription must be kept and stamped, receipts and supplies recorded in special registers, and stock stored securely. Record-keeping breaches carry fines of up to SAR 20,000, doubling for repeats. A false entry used to balance a count is treated far more seriously than the discrepancy.
Narcotics law Arts. 28-31 and 49; SFDA Procedures and Controls for Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
Confidentiality at the counter and on messaging apps
Dispensing records reveal diagnoses. Article 21 and the SCFHS Code protect them, and the PDPL treats health data, including inferences from purchases, as sensitive. Typical complaints involve names and medicines called aloud, an employer asking what an employee collected, a relative given more than they needed, or a prescription photographed and sent to a staff group.
Law Art. 21 and Reg. 1-21; SCFHS Code Ch. 2; PDPL
Company gifts, commissions and promotion
Article 12 bars benefits from drug or device companies and rewards for steering patients to pharmacies or laboratories, with fines of up to SAR 50,000 under Article 29. SFDA's promotional code limits non-cash items to SAR 100 per item and SAR 500 per year and prohibits incentives linked to prescribing or dispensing. Paid skincare or supplement videos raise Article 10 on self-promotion as well.
Law Arts. 10, 12 and 29; SFDA Saudi Code of Conduct for Promotional Practices; SCFHS Code Ch. 10
Dispensing errors and honesty afterwards
Look-alike packs, interruptions and handover mistakes lead to wrong strengths and wrong bags. Complaints through 937 usually turn less on the slip itself than on whether the pharmacist told the patient, checked their safety, corrected the supply and reported it. Altered records or a denial that evidence contradicts are treated more seriously than the original error.
SCFHS Code Ch. 2 and Ch. 9; Law Arts. 15, 18 and 26-27; MOH patient rights
Counterfeit, expired and undocumented stock
The 2020 Law of Pharmaceutical and Herbal Establishments and Preparations prohibits dealing in counterfeit, spoiled, expired or unregistered preparations and requires documents showing where stock came from. Someone who has sold such a product must notify SFDA and refund the buyer. Pressure usually comes from an owner offering cheap stock without an invoice or asking you to sell short-dated packs.
Law of Pharmaceutical and Herbal Establishments and Preparations (2020) Arts. 15, 16, 34 and 35
Detailed course outline
11 sections · 27 lessons · 43 knowledge-check questions · 3 hours of learning
Eleven sections move from your legal position and a decision method, through dispensing, antibiotics, controlled medicines, counselling and confidentiality, to industry, safety, accountability and your own action plan. Each section closes with a knowledge check.
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1The pharmacist's ethical and legal position in Saudi Arabia3 lessons · 4 checks
Why pharmacists are a safety checkpoint, how SCFHS, MOH and SFDA divide their roles, which laws apply, and how the SCFHS Code reads from the dispensary, including questions on religious rulings.
- 1.1Why pharmacy ethics carries particular weight in the KingdomThe last safety check, and often the first contact · Why the stakes are high in Saudi practice · What this course will cover
- 1.2The bodies and laws that shape a pharmacist's dutiesRegistration and licensing · The medicines regulator · The main laws you will meet in this course · One act, several consequences
- 1.3The SCFHS Code of Ethics seen from the dispensaryHow the code is organised · Reading the code as a pharmacist · Prescriptions in the code · Religious rulings and the pharmacy
- Section 1 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 1.1
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2Reasoning through ethical problems in pharmacy2 lessons · 4 checks
The four principles applied to pharmacy dilemmas, where Saudi law decides before ethics weighs, and a six-step method for decisions under pressure with a short record of your reasoning.
- 2.1Four principles applied to pharmacy dilemmasThe four principles · Where the principles collide in pharmacy · Saudi law sets the frame
- 2.2A step-by-step method for decisions under pressureSix steps · When the law decides and when judgement decides · Recording your reasoning
- Section 2 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 2.1
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3Dispensing duties and prescription checks3 lessons · 4 checks
What the law requires before a prescription-only medicine is supplied, what makes a prescription valid, e-prescribing through Wasfaty, a systematic clinical check, and how to query a prescriber or decline.
- 3.1Prescription-only medicines and what the law requiresThe legal basis · What makes a prescription valid · Electronic prescriptions
- 3.2The clinical check: screening a prescription for safetyA systematic approach · High-risk patients and medicines · The patient as a source of information
- 3.3Querying a prescriber and declining to dispenseMaking the call · When to decline · Escalation without conflict
- Section 3 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 3.1
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4Antibiotics, over-the-counter supply and commercial pressure3 lessons · 4 checks
MOH's rule on antibiotics without a prescription, a conversation structure that keeps patient trust, over-the-counter assessment and red flags, herbal products, and what to do when owners set targets.
- 4.1Requests for antibiotics without a prescriptionWhy the rule matters · Having the conversation
- 4.2Over-the-counter supply, self-care and knowing when to referAssessment before supply · Red flags for referral · Products with misuse potential · Herbal, traditional and imported products
- 4.3Owners, targets and your professional judgementWhere commerce and care collide · Your licence is personal · Raising concerns inside the business
- Section 4 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 4.1
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5Controlled and narcotic medicines3 lessons · 4 checks
The narcotics law and SFDA controlled drug procedures, signs of forged prescriptions and diversion, fairness to patients in pain, good register practice and honest handling of discrepancies.
- 5.1The legal framework for narcotic and psychotropic medicinesThe Law of Combating Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances · SFDA procedures and electronic systems
- 5.2Forged prescriptions, diversion and suspected misuseWarning signs · Responding to suspicion · Fairness to patients in pain
- 5.3Registers, discrepancies and honestyGood register practice · When the count does not match
- Section 5 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 5.1
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6Counselling, communication and the patient's right to understand2 lessons · 4 checks
Counselling as a duty, what to cover, teach-back, patients who decline advice, interpreters, gender preferences, and involving family without displacing the patient.
- 6.1Counselling as an ethical and professional dutyWhy counselling is a duty · What to cover · Teach-back · When patients decline counselling
- 6.2Language, gender and family in the counselling conversationLanguage · Gender preferences · Family involvement · Respect without assumptions
- Section 6 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 6.1
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7Confidentiality and patient data in pharmacy2 lessons · 4 checks
Article 21, the SCFHS Code and the PDPL, permitted disclosures, requests from relatives, employers and insurers, and safe use of messaging apps and social media.
- 7.1Confidentiality duties under Saudi law, the code and the PDPLThe legal and ethical duty · Permitted disclosures · The Personal Data Protection Law
- 7.2Everyday confidentiality dilemmas at the counter and on the wardCommon risks · Social media · Requests from family
- Section 7 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 7.1
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8Industry, incentives and conflicts of interest2 lessons · 4 checks
SFDA's promotional code and the SCFHS Code on gifts, samples and hospitality, Article 12 on commissions and steering, advertising rules, and disclosing your financial interests.
- 8.1Gifts, samples and hospitality from pharmaceutical companiesTwo sets of rules · The law behind both · Why small gifts matter
- 8.2Commissions, steering and advertisingSteering patients · Advertising and self-promotion
- Section 8 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 8.1
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9Medicine safety, errors and product quality3 lessons · 4 checks
Responding to dispensing errors with disclosure and apology, Saudi Vigilance reporting, recalls, counterfeit and expired stock, high-alert medicines, and speaking up about colleagues.
- 9.1Dispensing errors and honest disclosureCommon dispensing errors · When an error is discovered · Why honesty matters · Apology and liability
- 9.2Pharmacovigilance, recalls, counterfeit and expired productsReporting adverse reactions · Track and trace and recalls · Counterfeit, expired and unregistered products · Quality concerns at the point of supply
- 9.3Hospital pharmacy: high-alert medicines, teamwork and speaking upHigh-alert medicines · Speaking up across hierarchy · Concerns about colleagues · Antimicrobial stewardship as a team duty
- Section 9 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 9.1
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10Accountability: complaints, investigations and your professional standing2 lessons · 4 checks
How concerns reach a pharmacist through 937, inspections and employers, how claims are investigated, who decides, the penalties and appeals, and keeping CPD and your role in order.
- 10.1How concerns about pharmacists arise and what can followWhere concerns come from · Formal claims and investigation · Who decides · Possible consequences
- 10.2Maintaining competence and working within your roleCPD and re-registration · Planning learning that matters · Working within your role
- Section 10 knowledge check4 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 10.1
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11Reflection and action planning2 lessons · 3 checks
A structured reflection on three real situations, then a personal action plan with specific goals, support, review dates and the evidence you will keep.
- 11.1Reflecting on your own pharmacy practiceA simple reflective structure · What makes a reflection useful · Reflection 1: a dispensing or supply decision · Reflection 2: a communication or confidentiality situation · Reflection 3: a pressure or conflict of interest
- 11.2Building your personal action planMaking goals specific · Finding support · Your plan · Evidence that change has happened · Using this work
- Section 11 knowledge check3 scenario questions with feedback on every answer
- 11.1
- Final assessment: 20 scenario-based questions, 80% to passthen your certificate
Knowledge checks, final assessment and certificate
Knowledge checks
43questions 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
- Declining amoxicillin without a prescription and keeping trust
- Narcotic register duties and fairness to patients with sickle cell disease
- Prescription photos in group chats and clinic steering payments
- Counterfeit batches and who sits on the panel in a pharmacy case
3 hoursCertificate 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 record of focused ethics learning to place beside your own written reflection when you reply to a pharmacy director, an inspection finding or a committee.
- Material for your adviser or lawyer when they help you prepare a statement after a complaint or a dispensing error.
- Notes on what you changed, written up as a CPD portfolio entry ready for before you re-register; SCFHS decides how any learning counts.
- Evidence for an employer or area manager that you completed learning agreed after a workplace concern.
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.
Two guided reflections, one on a dispensing or supply decision and one on a communication or confidentiality situation, lead into an action plan with evidence that change has happened.
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.
From dispensary habit to enforceable duty: how Saudi rules shape pharmacy ethics
Pharmacy ethics in the Kingdom is not left to personal conscience. Several instruments apply at once. The Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions governs every licensed practitioner, and MOH has relied on its Executive Regulations for the rule that prescription-only medicines are dispensed only against a prescription from a prescriber licensed in the Kingdom. Beside it sit the narcotics law, the 2020 Law of Pharmaceutical and Herbal Establishments and Preparations administered by SFDA, and the SCFHS Code of Ethics, which supplies duties on honesty, documentation, money and colleagues.
Each regulator looks at a different side of the same act. Releasing a controlled medicine on a weak prescription without a register entry concerns the narcotics law and SFDA procedures, the licence MOH issues, the Code's chapter on documentation and your employer's policy. Posting a photograph of a prescription in a staff group concerns Article 21, the Code's rules on patient images and the PDPL, which treats health data as sensitive even when it is only inferred from purchases. One event can therefore be examined by several bodies, each acting on its own part.
The consequences fall on you personally. SCFHS registration is a condition of the MOH licence under Article 2, and both belong to the individual. A sales target or a manager's instruction does not move responsibility onto someone else: the establishment may face its own penalties, but you will be asked to explain your own decision. Electronic systems sharpen this. Wasfaty prescriptions, RSD track and trace and SFDA's Controlled Drugs System leave a record of what was supplied and when.
Rules do not settle every case, so principles still matter. An older man decides to stop a diuretic because of its effect on his routine; two patients need the last pack of a scarce medicine; a patient cannot afford the branded product. Autonomy, benefit, avoiding harm and fairness pull in different directions, and the law does not weigh them for you. A short method closes the gap: name the problem, gather facts, check the rules, weigh realistic options, decide with help where needed, and record why.
When a concern is raised, the reader of your response asks the same things in the same order. What happened, which rule applied, who was affected and what has changed since? A pharmacist who can cite the relevant provision, explain why it protects patients and show a checked change, such as a bag-check at handover or a late-entry rule for registers, answers all four. A pharmacist who offers only good intentions or points to what other pharmacies do leaves the main question open.
How to respond to a complaint, inspection finding or review
A concern about your dispensing or conduct can feel personal. It is more useful to treat it as a request for an accurate account of one event and of what you have done since. These steps keep a response factual and complete.
Get advice and note deadlines
Speak to your employer's legal or compliance team, your adviser or a lawyer before replying. Record every date in the letter or notice and ask early for more time if you need it.
In the course: Section 10 explains the routes and bodies, so you understand what your adviser is preparing you for.
Rebuild the event from the record
Use the prescription, system entries, register pages and incident report rather than memory alone. Write a private timeline before you write anything others will read.
In the course: Sections 3 and 5 show what a well-kept dispensing and register record looks like.
Identify the rule that applied
Find the provision, SFDA procedure or Code chapter that covers the event and read it in full. Naming it precisely shows you understand why it exists.
In the course: Sections 1 to 9 set out each rule with its source, from the narcotics law to Article 12.
Give a plain account and acknowledge the effect
Say what happened and what you did, without blaming the patient, the prescriber or colleagues. Acknowledge any effect on the patient and what you did to put it right.
In the course: Section 9 covers disclosure and apology, and Section 10 covers writing for an investigation.
Show change you can evidence
List the changes you made, when they began and how they are checked, with anonymised proof such as a revised procedure, an audit or supervisor notes.
In the course: Section 11 builds goals with dates and the evidence you will keep.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Before you reply to your employer, an inspector, MOH, SFDA, a committee or the Sharia Health Panel, take advice from your employer's legal team or a lawyer.
How structured ethics learning can help after a concern
It links each duty to its source
Responses often say a pharmacist now understands the importance of checking prescriptions. Fewer name the rule, explain its purpose and show how it applies. The course teaches that connection.
It gives you a method you can show
The six-step method produces a short written record of your reasoning. Used on the event under review and on later cases, it shows how your decisions are made.
It structures your reflection
Section 11 moves from what happened to what it means and what you will change, with examples for a supply decision, a communication situation and a conflict of interest.
It points to changes that match the cause
A knowledge gap calls for learning, a rushed bench for a changed workflow and a pressure from management for a written concern. The course helps you choose and evidence the right one.
Remediation evidence that carries weight
Carries weight
- A reflection in your own words that names the rule, why it exists and the effect on the patient
- An anonymised intervention log showing queries to prescribers since the event
- A revised handover, bag-check or register procedure with examples of it in use
- A short audit of your own dispensing or antibiotic-request notes over a set period
- Notes from a senior pharmacist who observed your counselling or checks
- A record of Saudi Vigilance reports or incident reports you submitted
- Learning matched to the gap, with notes on how you applied it
Carries little weight
- A pile of certificates with no link to the concern
- Statements that you have never made a mistake in your career
- Long quotations from laws without applying them to the event
- Arguments that the customer was rude or the prescriber at fault
- Saying that other pharmacies in the area do the same
- Promises to be more careful that name no change
- A generic reflection that could fit any pharmacist
A remediation plan, phase by phase
Weeks 1-2
Advice, facts and the right rule
- Take advice from your employer's legal team or a lawyer and note each deadline.
- Write a private timeline using system entries and register pages.
- Locate the provision or SFDA procedure that covered the event and read it fully.
Weeks 2-6
Understand the ethics of the event
- Complete this course and mark the sections your event touches.
- Run the six-step method on the event and keep the written result.
- Draft your reflection and ask your adviser to review it before it is shared.
Weeks 6-12
Change practice and show it
- Introduce the specific fix, such as a name-and-date check at handover or a script for antibiotic requests.
- Ask a senior pharmacist to observe your work and give written feedback.
- Collect anonymised examples that show the change in use.
Months 3-12
Sustain and review
- Add an ethics goal with a checkable measure to your CPD plan.
- Repeat a small audit of your own practice each quarter.
- Revise your reflection at six months with what worked and what did not.
Writing your reflective statement
Describe the event
State what happened, when, your role and the result, with no patient identifiers.
Example only: As the pharmacist on duty in a community pharmacy in Khamis Mushait, I supplied a prescription-only antibiotic to a regular customer for his daughter after my owner messaged that he must not be lost.
Name the principles in tension
Say which values competed and how you weighed them at the time.
Example only: I gave weight to loyalty and to avoiding a conflict with my employer, and almost none to the child's safety or the wider risk of resistance.
Identify the standard
Name the rule that applied and explain why it exists.
Example only: MOH has stated that prescription-only medicines need a prescription from a licensed prescriber, because someone must first assess whether the child needs the medicine at all.
Acknowledge the impact
Describe the effect on the patient, colleagues and trust in the pharmacy.
Example only: The child may have taken a medicine she did not need, and my colleagues saw that rules bend when a customer is valuable.
Explain what you learned
Say what you had stopped applying or never knew, and what has shifted.
Example only: I had treated my licence as shared with the owner. I now understand it is personal and that an instruction does not carry my responsibility.
Describe the changes and how you keep them
List the actions, their start dates and how someone could check them.
Example only: Since April I use a short script for antibiotic requests, write one line in the notes each time, and my supervisor reviews a sample monthly.
The sentences above are fictional and show structure only. Your own reflection has to be an honest account of your practice.
A weak and a strong response, side by side
Illustrative case. A community pharmacist in Yanbu is telephoned by the human resources office of a company, which asks what medicine an employee collected last week because his absences are being questioned. The pharmacist names an antidepressant and the dose, and the employee later complains through 937.
| Weak response | Strong response |
|---|---|
| The caller said she was from his employer and sounded worried about him, so I tried to help. I did not give his diagnosis. Employers are entitled to know about staff health, and many pharmacies tell them. I have worked here for ten years without any complaint, and I will be more careful. | I told a caller from an employer which medicine and dose an employee had collected. Article 21 and the SCFHS Code require me to keep dispensing information confidential, and the PDPL treats health data as sensitive. None of the permitted exceptions applied and he had not consented. The disclosure exposed his mental health to his workplace. I have taken this course, I now decline such requests and refer callers to the patient, and our pharmacist in charge audits a sample of my phone notes each month. |
Why the second one works: The strong response states what was disclosed, names the duty, accepts the effect and describes checked changes. The weak response treats a sympathetic motive as a defence, relies on common practice and years of service, and offers only a promise.
Mistakes practitioners make when responding
Quoting the rules of another country
Citing the pharmacy practice of your training country suggests you have not read the Saudi provisions that bind you. Cite the Law, the Regulations, SFDA procedures and the SCFHS Code.
Blaming the owner or the target
Pressure from management explains how an event happened, but your licence is personal. Say what you did and what you now do when you receive such an instruction.
Defending a refusal that left the patient with nothing
Saying only that the rule is the rule ignores the duty not to abandon the patient. Describe the advice and referral you now offer.
Altering the record to tidy the story
A late or corrected entry must be dated and signed. A quietly changed register or note is judged more harshly than the original problem.
Writing an essay on ethics
Principles help you analyse the event, but the response itself should stay with facts, impact and change.
Leaving out the patient
A statement that never mentions what the patient experienced reads as self-focused, however sincere.
Stopping at the certificate
Without a changed practice and proof of it, 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 narcotics law, the 2020 pharmaceutical establishments law, SFDA's promotional code and the SCFHS Code, as covered in the course.
- Exec. Regs. and MOH statement
Prescription-only medicines
MOH has stated that medicines requiring a prescription may not be dispensed without one from a prescriber licensed in the Kingdom, including antibiotics. It has named fines of up to SAR 100,000, licence revocation and imprisonment of up to six months.
In the course: Sections 3 and 4 cover prescription validity and the antibiotic conversation.
- Narcotics law Arts. 28-31, 49
Controlled medicine duties
Dispense only on a valid prescription, keep and stamp it, record receipts and supplies in special registers and store stock securely. Record-keeping breaches carry fines of up to SAR 20,000, doubling for repeats within three years.
In the course: Section 5 covers registers, discrepancies and SFDA's Controlled Drugs System.
- Art. 21
Confidentiality
Information learned in practice is confidential, and the file is open only to the treating team, the patient and authorised bodies. Disclosure is allowed only on the grounds the Law lists, and the PDPL applies alongside.
In the course: Section 7 covers permitted disclosures and everyday risks.
- Arts. 10, 12 and 29
Benefits, steering and self-promotion
No benefits from drug or device companies, no rewards for steering patients, and no self-advertising beyond what the Regulations allow. Breaches carry fines of up to SAR 50,000.
In the course: Section 8 sets these beside SFDA's limits of SAR 100 per item and SAR 500 per year.
- 2020 law Arts. 15, 16, 34, 35
Counterfeit, expired and unregistered products
Hold documents showing the source of stock, notify SFDA and refund the buyer if you have supplied a prohibited product, and avoid dealing in such products. Penalties can include large fines, temporary closure and licence cancellation.
In the course: Section 9 covers recalls, track and trace and quality concerns.
Also relevant: Art. 2 on licensing; Art. 7 on keeping knowledge current; Art. 9 on working within your specialty; Art. 13 on examining patients in unlicensed places such as pharmacies; Art. 40 on claims and investigation; SCFHS Code Ch. 4 (colleagues), Ch. 9 (documentation) and Ch. 10 (financial affairs).
How this applies in each pharmacy setting
Community pharmacyPharmacies that operate on their own as well as those that belong to a chain
Antibiotic requests, over-the-counter red flags, sales targets and relatives collecting prescriptions arise daily. Often you are the only clinician the patient meets, so assessment and referral carry real weight.
Hospital and clinical pharmacyGovernment, military and private hospitals
Order verification, high-alert medicines, controlled drug cabinets and stewardship reviews are central. Speaking up across hierarchy and in multinational teams is a recurring ethical task.
Primary care and outpatient dispensariesHealth centres and hospital outpatient pharmacies
High volumes and short contacts increase the risk of wrong strengths and skipped counselling. Wasfaty and e-prescriptions help, but they do not replace your own clinical check.
Pharmacy owners and managersEstablishments and chain operations
Targets, pricing, sourcing and staff instructions fall within the 2020 law and Article 12. You are responsible for not placing pharmacists in a position where lawful practice costs them their bonus.
Industry, warehouse and regulatory rolesPharmaceutical companies, distribution and authorities
Promotion to health professionals, sampling and supply-chain documents fall under SFDA's code and the 2020 law. Pharmacists in these roles share responsibility for the gifts and disclosures the code describes.
How a concern about a pharmacist is handled
A concern about a pharmacist can begin with a patient, an inspector, an employer or a colleague. The route depends on what is alleged. The stages below follow the Law and its Executive Regulations.
Complaint, report or inspection finding
A patient or family may complain to the pharmacy or through 937. MOH and SFDA inspections can also record findings, and employers may open internal reviews after incident reports or audits.
Local review
Many concerns are first reviewed by the employer or facility, which may ask for your account and look at the prescription and system records. Ask for the policy that applies to you.
Formal claim and investigation
A person harmed, or their guardian or heirs, may file a claim with the facility or the regional health affairs director. The investigating body takes your statement. The Law expects it to finish within 30 days, extendable once by 30 days, and a travel bar of 30 days, extendable by another 30, may be imposed and objected to.
Referral or dismissal
If evidence is insufficient, dismissal may be recommended. Compensation claims and cases of death or loss of an organ go to the Sharia Health Panel, which includes a pharmacy academic and a pharmacist in pharmacy cases. Other breaches, such as commissions or advertising, go to the Committee for Violations of the Law.
Decision and appeal
Notices are served through your employer, and electronic hearings are allowed. Decisions of the panel and the committee can be appealed to the Board of Grievances within 60 days of notification. A ministerial suspension can be appealed within 30 days.
Possible outcomes and what they mean for you
The penalties below are those stated in the Law and in the other instruments covered. What applies, if anything, depends on the facts, and no course can decide or predict it.
| Outcome | What it is | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Dismissal or no action | The evidence is insufficient or the matter is settled at local level. | More likely where the facts are clear, the issue was isolated and you had already acted to put it right. |
| Warning | A disciplinary penalty under Article 32. | Often associated with a poorly handled decision that shows no pattern. |
| Fine | Up to SAR 10,000 as discipline (Art. 32); up to SAR 50,000 for breaches of Arts. 10, 12, 13 and listed parts of 14 (Art. 29); up to SAR 20,000 for other breaches (Art. 30); up to SAR 20,000 for narcotics record breaches (Art. 49). | Commissions, company benefits and register failures fall in the higher bands. |
| Compensation | Diya, arsh or other compensation set by the Sharia Health Panel where harm is proven. | Paid through insurance or by the employer, so early advice matters. |
| Temporary suspension | The Minister may suspend a practitioner where there is evidence of a serious violation and risk to patients (Art. 39). | You cannot practise during suspension; it can be appealed within 30 days. |
| Licence cancellation | Cancellation and removal from the register, with no new application for two years (Art. 32); the 2020 law also allows licence cancellation of establishments. | Ends lawful practice, since an MOH licence depends on SCFHS registration. |
| Criminal penalty | Up to 6 months' imprisonment and/or up to SAR 100,000 for serious offences (Art. 28); fines up to SAR 5 million and closure under Art. 35 of the 2020 law. | Rare for ethics concerns, but MOH has named imprisonment for dispensing prescription-only medicines without a prescription. |
If you were asked to complete ethics learning
An employer, an area manager or a committee may ask a pharmacist to complete ethics learning after a concern. If the request names a course, provider, hours or format, only the person who set it can say whether this course meets it. Send them the outline, the 11 sections, the knowledge checks, the final assessment and the study time, and ask for written confirmation before you enrol.
When you finish, you will normally be asked for the certificate and a reflection. Use the template in Section 11, tie it to the specific concern, and keep a dated copy of everything you send.
Using this course as CPD
SCFHS registration lasts two years and CPD hours are checked at re-registration. SCFHS states 40 hours for pharmacists on its re-registration requirements page. If the hours are not completed, SCFHS renews for one year only, and that concession can be used once.
Hours from CPD activities registered with SCFHS inside the Kingdom normally appear in Mumaris Plus automatically. 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, and SCFHS judges relevance and depth for your field.
Whatever SCFHS decides about hours, a short note on what you changed afterwards is useful for appraisal, for your pharmacy director and for any later question about your practice.
SCFHS registration renewal
The core ethics course written only for pharmacists, covering SFDA as well as SCFHS and MOH rules. The certificate records 3 hours; SCFHS decides how it counts towards re-registration.
A 937 complaint or committee case
After an inspection finding, a dispensing error or a complaint, the course helps you show you know the legal and SFDA requirements and have changed your practice. Check with your employer or adviser what is needed.
Key terms explained
- SCFHS
- The body that publishes the Code of Ethics and also classifies and registers practitioners is the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.
- Mumaris Plus
- The SCFHS platform for registration, re-registration and applications to recognise CPD hours.
- SFDA
- The Saudi Food and Drug Authority, regulator of medicines, devices and controlled drug systems.
- Wasfaty
- MOH's e-prescribing service that lets eligible patients collect prescribed medicines from participating community pharmacies.
- RSD
- SFDA's track-and-trace system that follows each medicine pack by barcode through the supply chain.
- Saudi Vigilance
- SFDA's system for reporting suspected adverse drug reactions.
- 937
- Complaints about health services are recorded and followed up through the MOH service centre and its digital portal.
- Committee for Violations of the Law
- The body that hears breaches of the Law that are not malpractice claims, such as commissions or advertising.
- Sharia Health Panel
- Cases involving a death, or the loss of an organ or its function, are heard by a panel with a judge at its head, and so are claims for compensation.
- Board of Grievances
- Appeals against decisions made by panels and committees, and against suspensions ordered by the minister, go to the administrative court.
FAQالأسئلة الشائعة
Questions about this course
Does this course give SCFHS CPD hours?
No SCFHS hours are awarded by the course itself. SCFHS decides how any learning counts towards your registration, and you can apply to SCFHS through the Recognition of CPD Hours service on Mumaris Plus to have learning recognised. Pharmacists need 40 CPD hours at re-registration under SCFHS's published requirements.
Does it explain the rules on dispensing antibiotics without a prescription?
Yes. Section 4 sets out MOH's position that prescription-only medicines, including antibiotics, must not be dispensed without a prescription from a prescriber licensed in the Kingdom, the penalties MOH has stated, and a practical way to handle the conversation with assessment, symptomatic advice and safety-netting.
How much does it cover on controlled and narcotic medicines?
Section 5 explains the duties in the Law of Combating Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances on prescriptions, registers and storage, SFDA's procedures and Controlled Drugs System, forged prescriptions, fair treatment of patients in pain and how to handle a register discrepancy honestly. Detailed forms and supply limits change, so the course shows you where to check the current rules.
What does it say about gifts and samples from pharmaceutical companies?
Section 8 compares the SCFHS code with SFDA's promotional code, which limits non-cash items to SAR 100 per item and SAR 500 per year and bans incentives linked to dispensing. It also covers Article 12 of the Law on company benefits and commissions, selling samples and social media promotion.
Is it suitable for pharmacists who trained outside Saudi Arabia?
Yes. It highlights areas where habits formed elsewhere often differ from Saudi rules, such as prescription-only supply, controlled drug records, data protection and company gifts, and explains the reasoning behind each rule.
Can I take it after a complaint, inspection or employer review?
Yes. Many pharmacists use structured learning and reflection to show understanding and change. It can support your response, but it cannot decide the outcome. If MOH, a committee or your employer has asked for specific training, check with them, and with your lawyer where appropriate, whether this course meets that request.
How is the course assessed?
Each of the 11 sections ends with a short knowledge check. The final assessment has 20 scenario-based questions and you need 16 correct (80%) to pass. The last section asks you to write reflections and an action plan for your portfolio.
Does it cover counterfeit, expired or unregistered products?
Yes. Section 9 covers track and trace, recalls, counterfeit, expired and unregistered products and what to do when you find one, alongside reporting adverse reactions.
What should I do when a prescription looks unsafe?
Section 3 sets out a systematic clinical check, how to query a prescriber and when to decline to dispense, with ways to escalate without conflict.
Does it help with counselling in a second language?
Section 6 covers counselling as a duty, teach-back, language, gender preferences and family involvement, so patients understand their medicines.
Is the course suitable for pharmacy technicians?
It is written for registered pharmacists, so some lessons, such as querying a prescriber, assume pharmacist responsibility. Technicians may find parts useful, but SCFHS lists a different CPD requirement for them, and the licence duties discussed are those of pharmacists.
Does it teach drug dosing and clinical pharmacology?
No. It uses clinical examples such as weekly methotrexate or warfarin strengths to show ethical and legal duties, not to teach therapeutics. Keep your own clinical references for dosing.
Will it help if I move between community and hospital pharmacy?
Yes. The sections show how the same duties appear in each setting, from antibiotic requests at the counter to high-alert medicines on the ward, so you can see which habits transfer and which need to change.
Does it replace my pharmacy's own controlled drugs policy?
No. The course explains the law and SFDA's framework, but your facility's policy sets local steps for keys, discrepancies and retention. Section 5 asks you to find that policy and note any difference from what you assumed.
How this course is written and kept current
The course draws on the Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions and its Executive Regulations as published by MOH, the narcotics law, SFDA procedures and promotional code, the 2020 pharmaceutical establishments law, the SCFHS Code and SDAIA guidance on the PDPL. Points we could not confirm from the published text were left out rather than guessed.
Cases are illustrative and do not describe real patients or practitioners. When a law, code or procedure changes, the affected lessons and questions are reviewed, and reported errors in legal facts are corrected first.
Page updated 2 November 2026
Primary sources
The laws, codes and pages this page and the course rely on. Always check the current text with the issuing body.
- Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions (MOH English text)moh.gov.sa
- Executive Regulations of the Law (MOH, Arabic)moh.gov.sa
- SCFHS Code of Ethics for Healthcare Practitionersscfhs.org.sa
- SCFHS re-registration requirementsscfhs.org.sa
- SCFHS Mumaris Plus FAQscfhs.org.sa
- MOH patient rightsmoh.gov.sa
- MOH 937 services (my.gov.sa)my.gov.sa
- SDAIA guide to the Personal Data Protection Lawdgp.sdaia.gov.sa
- SFDA guidance on reporting adverse drug reactions (2022)sfda.gov.sa
- MOH release on social media violations (November 2024)moh.gov.sa
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