(MENAFN - Arab News) Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah urged health care providers in the private sector yesterday to enhance their services to residents and citizens in the Kingdom.

The minister said the government is keen to provide them with the best possible health care and there should be coordinated efforts.

Ali Azzawwawi, undersecretary to the ministry of health for the private health sector, said that the Ministry of Health organizes field visits to private health care institutions to ensure that they maintain the ministry's standards. "Violators of health care regulations were subject to various penalties and even closure of private medical clinics," he said, adding that the licenses of medical clinics were also withdrawn and violating health personnel was suspended from regular services.

The motto of the health ministry is "Patients First", hence, he said, the ministry would take all measures to look after the welfare of the patients and to enhance the services and health facilities provided to them. The official said that the ministry treats members of the private sector as strategic partners in providing the best health care to the people in the Kingdom. "Such measures are adopted as a remedial action to discourage practices that jeopardize the health of the people," he added.

In 2012, he said, the ministry closed down 140 medical clinics in the private sector and took action against 351 medical personnel, who had violated the Kingdom's health regulations.

During this year, he said 14,078 new licenses were issued to medical institutions, which included 672 pharmacies. "We have also given licenses to 2,295 medics and paramedics to practice in the private sector in the Kingdom.

Early this year, the Ministry of Health (MOH) closed a private medical center in the capital for alleged professional mistakes.

The ministry found a series of mistakes carried out by the center in its cosmetic surgical section. Besides the death of a woman following a cosmetic surgery, the ministry found that the administration of the medical center too had violated the Kingdom's labor regulations.

"Some of the center's medics and paramedics were also working for the public sector," the ministry said. The center had allegedly also not complied with the health ministry's regulations to maintain health standards. The center in the north of Riyadh has several affiliates in the city. The ministry also banned all one-day surgeries in all these facilities.

According to the Kingdom's labor regulations, it is illegal for members of the private sector to work part-time in the private sector.

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Saudi- Private hospitals urged to provide better services