Healthcare Licences Now Available for Telemedicine and Remote Care Centres in Saudi Arabia

In late December 2018, the Ministry of Health (MOH) published a new annex (Annex 24) to the Private Healthcare Institutions Law, which provides for a licencing regime for Telemedicine and Remote Care Centres (Telemedicine Providers) in Saudi Arabia. Previously there were no licences available to Telemedicine Providers and it was a tolerated practice by the MOH.

Telemedicine Providers will now be licenced to provide consultations direct to patients and undertake peer-to-peer consultations to provide healthcare services. Contact can be either direct through voice or visual imaging or indirect with medical records and information made available to the healthcare practitioner.

All Telemedicine Providers will need either a website or App that provides comprehensive and detailed information about the services provided. They must also have a separate administrative head office and a separate medical facility (Medical Facility) where medical examinations can take place. The Medical Facility need not be managed by the Telemedicine Provider but can be available through a third party via a commercial arrangement. The Medical Facility must have appropriate medical equipment and the Telemedicine Provider will need an electronic health record system to record all data collected. Finally, the Telemedicine Provider will need to provide adequate training for its employees.

All applications for a licence should be submitted to the Directorate of Health Affairs with supporting documentation and pre-approval from the MOH.

If you are interested in obtaining a Telemedicine Licence or should you require further advice in relation to the licencing regime, we would be happy to assist you further.

Key Contacts:

Andrea Tithecott
Partner, Head of Regulatory, Head of Healthcare
a.tithecott@tamimi.com

Julie Bassi
Senior Associate, Healthcare
j.bassi@tamimi.com