Bahrain has reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance on illegal medical practices, cracking down on dozens of unlicensed operators and unauthorised facilities across the kingdom over the last two years.
Health Minister Dr Jalila Al Sayyed revealed that 56 individuals were found practising health-related professions without valid licences, while eight premises were illegally offering medical or cosmetic services, despite not being registered as clinics.
She affirmed that authorities acted immediately once the violations were detected.
The revelations came in the government’s official response to a parliamentary question submitted by Strategic Thinking Bloc member MP Ali Al Dossary, who sought detailed figures on illegal medical operators, the risks they posed, and how they managed to operate in the kingdom.
Dr Al Sayyed stressed that although these facilities were not formal clinics, they were being ‘exploited to offer health-related services in violation of the law’.
“Every case was referred directly to the Public Prosecution as soon as it was discovered,” she said. “There is no tolerance for illegal medical practice in Bahrain.”
She emphasised that the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) had not recorded any confirmed harm or medical errors resulting from these cases as prosecutions were initiated immediately.
“Our inspection and regulatory teams act swiftly – once an unlicensed practitioner is identified, their operations are stopped and legal action begins before any harm can occur,” Dr Al Sayyed noted.
The minister explained that the majority of violations occurred in private premises never licensed by the NHRA.
“These individuals began offering services in places that were never approved or licensed for medical or health activity. Through field inspections, we were able to identify and shut them down,” she stated.
Dr Al Sayyed outlined the strict verification steps required before anyone is licensed to practise medicine or any health profession in the kingdom:
* Certificates and transcripts must match the applicant’s identity.
* Universities must be recognised by the Education Ministry and the Supreme Council of Health (SCH).
* Qualifications must appear in the NHRA’s approved training and specialisation guide.
* All certificates undergo independent authenticity verification by accredited auditing firms.
* Unlisted or unclear qualifications are escalated to specialist evaluation committees.
* Any qualification proven invalid or inconsistent with standards leads to automatic rejection.
“The kingdom has one of the region’s most rigorous systems for verifying medical credentials. No professional is licensed without completing this multilayered validation process,” she said.
Dr Al Sayyed said the ministry will continue to work closely with Parliament to ensure that Bahrain’s health system – public and private – meets the highest levels of safety, transparency and accountability.
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