Health Ministry Warns of Strict Penalties for Unlicensed Treatments and Training
The Ministry of Health said on Tuesday that it will pursue anyone offering unlicensed treatments or running unregulated training courses that involve practising on people, and warned of strict penalties for offenders.
In a statement, the ministry said that any medical or therapeutic activity, and any hands-on procedure carried out on people, may take place only in licensed health establishments that are legally authorised for the purpose. It named several practices that fall outside that framework, including leech therapy, moxibustion, so-called fire-towel treatments, and burning or cauterizing patients.
The ministry also targeted the growing number of training courses and workshops advertised online and on social media. Courses that include practical work on people, particularly with lasers and certain medical or paramedical devices, are not permitted unless they are properly authorized, it said.
The statement did not specify the penalties, the legal articles on which they rest, or the number of cases under investigation. Algeria's health law, adopted in 2018, makes the practice of medical and paramedical professions conditional on qualifications and authorization.
The ministry's message is aimed both at practitioners and at the organizers of the courses, who it said will be held to account. It stopped short of announcing inspections or closures, but the statement signals that enforcement will cover both treatment providers and training organizers.
It said it will follow up on offenders, including those who promote such practices or courses online. Algeria's system of authorization exists so that patients can be sure of the qualifications of those who treat them.
The ministry, which oversees the authorization of health establishments and professionals, also reminded the public that care should be sought only in authorized facilities, where qualified staff, hygiene standards and legal accountability apply.
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