Al-Awadi issues a decision regulating the conduct of surgical operations and medical interventions
The ministry added that the decision assigned to departmental councils the authority to grant and approve the powers and privileges required to perform surgical procedures and medical interventions, by classifying approved procedures for each specialty according to the job title specified in the professional license, as well as the specialty, experience, and nature of the procedure.
It clarified that the decision enhances the supervisory and regulatory role of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, stipulating the approval of procedure classifications, requirements, controls, and standards submitted by the departmental councils. Each council must submit a list of surgical procedures specific to its specialty to the Undersecretary within three months of the decision’s publication for approval.
The ministry indicated that the decision empowers the Undersecretary or their delegate, in accordance with the administrative hierarchy, to temporarily suspend the authority to perform surgeries or medical interventions when medical necessity dictates, as well as to review requests concerning overlaps in authority among different medical specialties within three months of the decision’s publication.
It emphasized that the decision strengthens patients’ rights by obligating the attending physician or a designated member of the medical team at the specified job level to obtain informed consent from the patient or their legal representative before performing any surgery or medical intervention, and to document this consent in the medical file. Additionally, the physician must disclose to the patient the identity of the medical team that will perform the procedure, and may not delegate the procedure to another physician without the patient’s or their representative’s consent, provided that the substitute physician holds the necessary authority.
The ministry stated that the decision permits physicians working in the public sector, within the scope of their license and in accordance with specified controls, to perform surgeries and medical interventions in other government hospitals when necessary, after obtaining the required approvals. It also mandates that the host hospital be prepared and that a qualified medical team be available to manage potential complications.
Furthermore, the decision authorizes, in emergency or critical cases aimed at preserving the patient’s life or preventing serious harm, surgeons employed by the Ministry of Health to provide surgical care in private healthcare facilities, in accordance with the approvals and procedures outlined in the decision.
