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Doctor’s licence revoked for issuing false sick certificates

ABU DHABI — A medical specialist here has been stripped of his licence for issuing false medical fitness certificates to people who wanted to avail of sick leave in their firms, said a senior health official.

The Health Authority — Abu Dhabi (HAAD) revoked the licence of the specialist at a private health facility, Zaid Al Siksik, Director of the Health Regulation Department at HAAD, said yesterday.

“Private medical facilities must abide by the authority’s laws and regulations and do not issue medical reports falsifying the people’s health conditions. They must also not conduct pre-marital medical tests without the approval of the authority,” warned Al Siksik.

He lauded the cooperation extended by the private medical sector in implementing the health policies and regulations set by HAAD, “which stipulate certain licensing criteria for medical cadres and healthcare providers in the private sector,” he said.

Meanwhile, the authority has ordered temporary closure of a private pharmacy and issued notices to 11 other pharmacies in the capital for breaching the pharmacy laws and regulations.

“We ordered a one-month temporary closure of a private pharmacy for selling banned medications,” Dr Mohammed Abuelkhair, Head of Drugs and Medical Products at HAAD, told Khaleej Times yesterday.

He said the authority had notified another 11 private pharmacies for selling prescription drugs without medical prescription. “We have notified them that in case of repeating the breach, their licences would be suspended or the outlets closed down,” warned Dr Abuelkhair. He pointed out that the breaches were detected by inspectors from HAAD during inspections in private pharmacies in the capital.

On the steps being taken by the authority to prevent such violations, Adeeb Al Zaabi, Director of the Inspection and Health Facilities Licensing Department at HAAD, said: “A team from the authority will continue inspection campaigns in private pharmacies to ensure compliance with the rules and regulations.”

Al Zaabi noted that some pharmacies committed breaches out of ignorance of the pharmacy laws, a matter the authority was working hard to avoid by educating pharmacists on the rules governing their sector.