Clinics close after abuses exposed

ABU DHABI // The Ministry of Health has withdrawn medical licences and closed clinics as health workers face fresh scrutiny from inspectors working in the northern Emirates. Among the medical practices facing disciplinary action is a clinic that allowed a laboratory administrator to work as a specialised doctor. The ministry has suspended its licence, according to a statement released yesterday.

Inspectors also discovered the clinic had not gone through the necessary legal procedures to license and register itself, and had employed a doctor previously suspended by the ministry. Dr Amin al Amiri, head of the ministry's medical licensing committee, said it had temporarily closed a dental clinic and suspended the owner's licence over the forging of a signature on a letter of employment. Another dental clinic was closed for two months for several violations, including employing an unlicensed doctor and two unlicensed nurses.

Dr Amiri said the ministry's inspection teams had also discovered that several clinics were issuing illegal prescriptions for drugs. The matter has been passed to the police, and a panel has also been established to look into the issuing of illegal prescriptions. This week the Health Authority - Abu Dhabi (HAAD) announced a number of closures and warnings issued to health facilities in recent months.

These included closing an operating room in a major hospital because it did not have a licensed anaesthesia technician, and issuing warnings to clinics employing unlicensed staff including radiology technicians and physicians. It also found a member of the administrative staff in a school clinic posing as a female nurse and clinics being used as living space for doctors. HAAD officials said an increase in inspections had uncovered the abuses.

Yesterday, the ministry also released a proposal by the Minister of Health, Humaid Mohammed Obaid al Qattami, to create a unified set of regulations for dealing with medical errors. The minister said a medical liability law would be referred to the ministerial council for final confirmation, but did not elaborate on what the law would include. In December, Mr al Qattami presented the draft law on liability to the Federal National Council. It included proposals to set up a Higher Medical Liability Committee, bring criminal sanctions against doctors and set up committees in every hospital to examine each death.

The ministry did not release information on how the new regulations would relate to the proposed liability law. The bill met fierce criticism from senior health officials and doctors, who said it had critical gaps and was inadequate. Dr Amiri added that the ministry has established a central system to register any reported pharmaceutical risks or complications from across the UAE, but did not provide any more details.

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