DUBAI - The Ministry of Health and Prevention, MoHAP, has announced that it is keen to pursue its inspection campaigns, through a competent team from the Empowerment and Healthcare Compliance Department, to ensure the adherence of the medical facilities to requirements of practising the profession.

These inspection visits are targeting around 200 medical and pharmaceutical facilities monthly. The number of facilities, which are inspected every three months, reaches 700 out of 2,400 health and pharmaceutical facilities licenced by MoHAP.

The inspection teams are well-qualified to explain health facilities-related laws, legislation and circulars, and to stand on reasons of the violations spotted by MoHAP’s inspectors, so as to reduce those violations and to ensure the provision of a high-quality health service for members of the society.

The aim of these campaigns is to implement the national standards of health facilities and to enhance MoHAP’s surveillance and supervisory role, in addition to providing a vital legislative framework and, governance, and distinctive regulatory and supervisory services for the healthcare sector, as well as updating the country’s health legislation in line with the UAE Vision 2021.

Dr. Hessa Mubarak, Director of Health Empowerment and Compliance Department, revealed that out of the 30 private companies ordered shut down by the Ministry, 18 are health centres and 12 were pharmacies. The move was based on the provisions of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Licenses Committee No. 4 for the year 2015 concerning private health facilities and Federal Law No. 4 for the year 1983 concerning pharmaceutical facilities and the pharmacy profession.

The number of closed facilities significantly dropped this year from 42 in 2017, an indication of the rising compliance of companies with the regulations under the ministry’s strict supervision.

The teams found that some of the establishments failed to conform to the safety standards, with some even allowing their doctors and technicians to practice their profession without a license. Others also got failing remarks on proper waste disposal and proper storage of medicines. Other violations included non-compliance with the medical and technical safety requirements in operating rooms and the engineering standards; improper sterilisation of medical instruments; lack of ventilation system; manipulation of controlled medicines; and dispensation of antibiotics without prescriptions.

Dr. Hessa stated that the ministry’s inspection and control teams conduct random visits to health facilities to monitor their compliance. They also schedule an inspection if a complaint has been filed on the ministry’s portal. Violators are slapped with fines based on the provisions of the existing health regulations. According to the ministry, the temporary closure provides erring establishments with an opportunity to take the necessary corrective actions. The inspection teams will visit the violators anew to check on their compliance.

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2019.