SFDA closes 20 medical supply stores in Riyadh

The Saudi Food and Drugs Authority (SFDA) has closed seven medical supply stores in Riyadh for committing various violations, bringing the total number of the closed stores to 20 within the last 20 days.
In a statement posted on its website, the SFDA justified the closure of stores by saying that the stores did not comply with the deadline given to them to correct their status with regards to previously identified violations, nor with the regulations set out by the SFDA, including getting the required licenses to engage in selling medical products and equipment.
Other irregularities included the storage of medical supplies in toilets and random rooms, in addition to the presence of surgery tools of unknown sources or that were lacking data, as well as the placing of oxygen cylinders outside the shops in a manner that exposes them to direct sun heat, the SFDA said.
“The inspection campaigns are primarily conducted to ensure that the medical supply stores are fully applying the requirements and standards set by the SFDA which, in the long term, is intended guarantee the safety and quality of medical supplies in the Kingdom,” the statement said. The SFDA has so far examined some 315 medical supply stores in 29 cities, resulting in the seizure of 58,000 irregular medical products in addition to the full closure of some stores.