Unlicensed medical practice penalties set at up to five years and BD5,000 fine

TDT | Manama

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Clinic closures for unlicensed medical practice would no longer be automatic under a draft law submitted to Parliament, which also proposes penalties of up to five years in prison and a BD5,000 fine.

The bill amends the way two sanctions are applied: shutting down a clinic and confiscating its contents, including equipment, tools and signage. Rather than being mandatory in every case, both measures would become discretionary, to be decided by the court or the relevant administrative authority based on the circumstances. The draft also allows for a clinic to be closed by administrative order pending the outcome of a criminal case.

The amended provision would apply to anyone practising medicine or operating a clinic without a licence, obtaining a licence or registration through false information or unlawful means, falsely using the title of doctor, or advertising in a way that misleads the public into believing they are licensed.

The Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission said the proposed amendment seeks to align penalties with those set out in Decree-Law No. 2 of 1987 concerning non-doctors and non-pharmacists practising allied medical professions. The revised penalty would be imprisonment for up to five years and a fine of up to BD5,000, or either of the two.

According to the Commission, the draft was referred to it on 2 February 2026 after the Cabinet approved it at its meeting on 26 January 2026 and authorised the procedures required to submit it to the legislative authority.