Ethics and Ethical Standards for Doctors in Saudi Arabia

At a glance

The concerns this course addresses

How to respond to a complaint about this kind of concern

A complaint about consent, confidentiality or honesty can feel like an attack on your character. It is more useful to treat it as a request for a clear account of one event and of what has changed since. These steps keep your response factual and complete.

1. Take advice before you write anything

   Speak to your malpractice insurer, your facility's legal or medical affairs office or a lawyer. Note any deadline in the letter and ask early if you need more time. If the matter may go to the Sharia Health Panel, advice matters even more.

   In the course: Section 9 explains the investigation and the bodies involved, so you know what your adviser is preparing you for.

2. Find the exact rule that applied

   Identify which article of the Law, which regulation, which chapter of the SCFHS Code or which MOH policy covers the event, and read it in full rather than in summary.

   In the course: Sections 1 to 7 set out each rule with its source, from Article 19 on consent to Article 12 on company benefits.

3. Name the ethical question underneath

   Was it the patient's choice against what you thought was best, confidentiality against a family's expectations, or loyalty to a colleague against the patient's safety? Saying so plainly shows you understand why the rule exists.

   In the course: Section 1 gives you the principles and the six-step method to set the question out.

4. Write a factual account and own your part

   Describe what happened, when, your role and what you did, without identifying the patient in documents that do not need it, without blaming others and without long justification. Acknowledge the effect on the patient and the family.

   In the course: Section 9 covers writing a statement, apology and honesty after harm.

5. Show what has changed, with evidence

   List the specific changes to your practice, when they started and how you know they work. Attach what you can: a revised consent checklist, audit results, supervision notes or a certificate with your reflection.

   In the course: Section 10 helps you write actions with dates, measures and the evidence you will keep.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Before you answer your facility, MOH, the Violations Committee or the Sharia Health Panel, speak to your malpractice insurer, your facility's legal office or a lawyer.

How this course helps with a complaint or investigation

• It ties each duty to its source

  Many responses say a doctor now understands the importance of consent. Few say which article or guideline applied, what it requires and why it protects patients. The course teaches that link, so your reflection reads as understanding rather than recital.

• It gives you a method you can show

  The six-step decision method produces a short written record of how you reasoned. Using it on the event in question, and on new cases afterwards, is concrete evidence that your decision-making has changed.

• It structures your reflection

  The final section takes you through what happened, what you thought and felt, what the standard required, what you learned and what you now do differently. That order suits a statement to your facility, an investigation or a committee.

• It separates what persuades from what does not

  Remediation carries weight when it matches the cause: learning for a knowledge gap, supervision for judgement, a changed process for a system failure. The course shows how to choose and evidence each.

Remediation evidence that carries weight

A remediation plan, phase by phase

1. Weeks 1-2

   Advice, facts and the right rule

   • Contact your malpractice insurer or a lawyer and note every deadline.
   • Write a private chronology while your memory is fresh, from the record rather than recollection alone.
   • Identify the article, regulation, Code chapter or MOH policy that applied and read it in full.

2. Weeks 2-6

   Understand the ethics of the event

   • Complete this course and note which sections the event engages.
   • Apply the six-step method to the event in writing.
   • Draft your reflective account and review it with your adviser before it goes anywhere.

3. Weeks 6-12

   Change practice and show it

   • Introduce the specific change the analysis points to, such as a consent checklist for minors or a disclosure note.
   • Arrange regular discussion of difficult cases with a senior colleague who has no conflict in the matter.
   • Collect anonymised examples of the change in use.

4. Months 3-12

   Sustain and review

   • Add an ethics goal to your CPD plan with a measure you can check.
   • Audit a sample of your consent forms or certificates every quarter.
   • Update your reflection at six months with what has worked and what has not.

Writing your reflective statement

1. Describe the event

   Set out what happened, when, your role and the outcome, without identifying anyone.

   Example only: As the treating orthopaedic specialist, I performed a knee arthroscopy on a 16-year-old after his father signed the consent form; I did not ask for the patient's own consent.

2. Name the principles in tension

   Say which principles pulled against each other and how you weighed them at the time.

   Example only: I gave weight to the father's authority and to avoiding delay, and almost none to the patient's right to take part in a decision about his own body.

3. Identify the standard

   Name the article, guideline or Code chapter that applied and explain why it exists.

   Example only: The MOH consent guidelines require both the minor and the guardian to consent from 15 to 18, because a young person of that age can understand the procedure and should have a voice.

4. Acknowledge the impact

   Describe the effect on the patient, the family, your colleagues and trust in the service.

   Example only: The patient felt the decision had been made over his head, and his complaint showed me how quickly trust in a whole department can be lost.

5. Explain what you learned

   Say what you did not know, or had stopped applying, and how your understanding changed.

   Example only: I had treated the age rules as a formality. I now understand them as a safeguard for the patient's dignity and as a legal requirement.

6. Describe the changes and how you keep them

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

   Example only: Since March I use a consent checklist for every patient under 18, and our quality coordinator audits ten of my forms each quarter.

The example sentences are fictional and show structure only. Your statement has to be your own honest account.

A weak and a strong response, side by side

Illustrative case. A general practitioner in a private polyclinic in Jeddah issues five days' sick leave to a patient he saw for ten minutes with a mild sore throat, after the patient explains that his manager will not give him leave for a family matter. The employer queries the certificate and the clinic receives a complaint.

Why the second one works: The strong response states what was done and why, names the rules, accepts the effect on others and describes specific, checked changes. The weak response relies on clinical judgement without evidence, compares itself with other doctors, attacks the employer and offers only a promise, which suggests the same certificate could be issued again.

Mistakes practitioners make when responding

The rules this course works through

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

• Art. 19

  Consent to medical intervention

  No intervention without the consent of the patient, or of a representative or guardian if the patient lacks legal capacity, except in emergencies to save life or an organ. The MOH guidelines add the age rules, written consent for higher-risk procedures and the two-specialist emergency rule.

  In the course: Section 3 works through adults, minors, guardians, emergencies and refusal.

• Art. 21

  Confidentiality

  Information learned in practice is confidential; the file is open to the treating team, the patient and authorised bodies; disclosure is allowed only on the grounds the Law lists.

  In the course: Section 4 sets this beside the PDPL and everyday pressures from families and insurers.

• Arts. 14-15

  Certificates and reports

  Diagnose with due care, issue reports, sick leave and death certificates according to the regulations, and never issue false sick leave or reports.

  In the course: Section 6 covers certificates, records and corrections.

• Art. 12

  Commissions and company benefits

  No commissions or rewards for steering patients, and no benefits from drug or device companies. Breaches carry fines of up to SAR 50,000 under Article 29.

  In the course: Section 7 sets this beside the SCFHS Code's chapter on financial affairs.

• Art. 10

  Advertising and titles

  No self-advertising except as the Regulations allow, and no titles or specialties you have not earned on signs, cards, prescriptions or adverts.

  In the course: Section 7 includes the MOH enforcement cases from 2024 to 2026.

• DNR policy

  Do-not-resuscitate status

  Recommendation and signature by the attending consultant and two physicians of at least specialist level, review at least every six months for inpatients, and full continuing care.

  In the course: Section 5 covers the policy and conversations with families.

Also relevant: Art. 5 and Reg. 3-5 on photographing procedures; Art. 8 on emergency care before payment; Art. 9 on working within your specialty; Art. 41 on compulsory malpractice insurance; SCFHS Code Ch. 4 (colleagues), Ch. 8 (teaching on patients) and Ch. 11 (research).

How this applies in each physician setting

What happens after a complaint is made

A complaint about a physician's ethical conduct can start at the facility, through 937 or as a formal claim, and the route it takes depends on whether harm is alleged. The stages below describe the usual path as set out in the Law and its Executive Regulations.

1. Complaint or claim

   A patient or family complains to the facility or through the MOH 937 service, or a person harmed (or their guardian or heirs) files a private claim with the facility or the regional health affairs director on the prescribed form.

2. Facility review

   Many consent, communication and confidentiality complaints are first looked at by the facility, which may ask for your account and review the record. Facility procedures vary, so ask for the policy that applies to you.

3. Investigation

   Where a formal investigation opens, the investigating body takes your statement and prepares a committee report. The Law expects the investigation to finish within 30 days, extendable once by 30 days. You may be barred from travel for 30 days, extendable by another 30, and you may object.

4. Referral or dismissal

   If the evidence is insufficient, dismissal may be recommended. Otherwise the case goes to the Sharia Health Panel if it involves compensation, death or loss of an organ or its function, or to the Committee for Violations of the Law for other breaches, such as false certificates, advertising or referral commissions.

5. Hearing and decision

   The Sharia Health Panel is chaired by a judge and includes physicians and a legal adviser; the public prosecutor represents the public right. The Violations Committee includes a legal specialist and a Saudi health professional. Notices are served through your employer, and electronic notices and hearings are allowed.

6. Appeal

   Decisions of the Sharia Health Panel and the Violations Committee can be appealed to the Board of Grievances within 60 days of notification. A temporary suspension by the Minister can be appealed within 30 days.

Possible outcomes and what they mean for you

The penalties below are those set out in the Law. Which, if any, applies depends on the facts, and no course can decide or predict it.

If you have been asked to complete education

Using this course as CPD

Key terms explained

SCFHS

The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, which classifies and registers practitioners, publishes the Code of Ethics and runs Mumaris Plus.

Mumaris Plus

The SCFHS online platform for classification, registration, re-registration and recognition of CPD hours.

Law of Practicing Healthcare Professions

Royal Decree No. M/59 of 1426H with its Executive Regulations: the main statute on licensing, duties, liability and penalties for practitioners.

Guardian (wali)

The person who consents on behalf of a patient who lacks legal capacity, including a child under 15; from 15 to 18 the minor and guardian consent together.

DNR order

A medical decision, recorded on the hospital's form, that cardiopulmonary resuscitation will not be attempted; under the national policy it is recommended by three physicians.

937

The MOH service centre and digital portal that records and follows up complaints about health services.

Committee for Violations of the Law

The body formed by ministerial decision that hears breaches of the Law other than malpractice claims.

Sharia Health Panel

The judge-chaired panel that hears compensation claims and cases involving death or loss of an organ or its function.

Diya and arsh

Forms of financial compensation for death or injury set under Islamic law and applied by the Sharia Health Panel.

Board of Grievances

The administrative court that hears appeals against panel and committee decisions and ministerial suspensions.

How this course is written and kept current

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. MOH Saudi Guidelines for Informed Consent (2019)moh.gov.sa
5. SCFHS re-registration requirementsscfhs.org.sa
6. SCFHS Mumaris Plus FAQscfhs.org.sa
7. MOH patient rightsmoh.gov.sa
8. MOH 937 services (my.gov.sa)my.gov.sa
9. SDAIA guide to the Personal Data Protection Lawdgp.sdaia.gov.sa
10. MOH release on social media violations (November 2024)moh.gov.sa