Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the “National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) ” and the “College of Pharmacy at King Saud University”

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the College of Pharmacy at King Saud University signed, on Thursday 25 Rabi` al-Thani / 1442 AH, a memorandum of understanding to develop the concept of natural herbal remedies.

The memorandum was signed at the pharmaceutical college headquarters at King Saud University, where NCCAM was represented by its Executive-Director General Professor Yasser Al-Ahmari, and the college was represented by Dr. Aws Al-Shamsan, in the presence of several employees of the two parties.

The memorandum aims to achieve cooperation between the NCCAM and the College in the fields of training, research, awareness, technology, and development, to ensure that the scientific content of educational events is enriched with applied experiments through the development of pioneering training and academic programs, in addition to cooperation in preparing an encyclopaedia of natural herbs.

The Executive Director-General of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) asserted that the cooperation with the College of Pharmacy at King Saud University comes as part of the center’s plan to integrate with all of the associated sectors to develop the Complementary and Alternative Medicine profession and to create broad professional opportunities in the field, The thing which ensures the advancement of the Complementary Medicine Practice in order for it be a treatment option available at the highest standards.

Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the “National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)” and the “College of Pharmacy at Umm Al-Qura University”

The National center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the College of Pharmacy at Umm Al-Qura University signed a Memorandum of Understanding to increase the Complementary and Alternative Medicine contribution in providing comprehensive and safe health care options.

The Memorandum aims to create cooperation between the center and the college to achieve developmental goals, exchange experiences, and develop human resources. In addition to cooperating in the fields of research, education, training, academic partnership, development of regulatory guides, health awareness, as well as advisory services.

The Executive Director-General of the center(NCCAM) , Mr. Yasser Al-Ahmari asserted that the Memorandum of Understanding aims to establish cooperation between the center and the college in a way that serves the center’s objectives aimed at providing complementary and alternative medicine as an option within the health care industry in KSA, and to ensure that the Practice is regulated according to the highest standards.
In addition to efforts toward increasing social awareness by publishing researches and scientific studies about alternative and complementary medical practices.

Training courses resumption for cupping practitioners

The National center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine announced the resumption of training courses (24 hours of ongoing studies accredited by the center).

The center announced that these courses come as part of the center’s regulatory role in training practitioners and provide guidance in regard to safety in cupping practice.

The center stated that the registration procedure for Training courses must be through one of the licensed cupping facilities which own a valid classification card issued by the Health Specialties Authority.

The training sessions will be conducted at (NCCAM) headquarters in Riyadh, for five days, from 8 am to 4 pm, according to the following schedule:

Sunday 04/07/1442 AH corresponding to 11/22/2020 AD

Sunday 04/14/1442 AH corresponding to 11/29/2020 AD

Sunday 04/28/1442 AH corresponding to 12/13/2020 AD

The publication of the first edition of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practice Guide (MAG)

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine published the first edition of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practice Guide (MAG), which aims to spread awareness regarding Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the Standards and regulations that govern the profession.

The guide classified the practices approved and licensed by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine into five practices: cupping, acupuncture, Osteopathy, Chiropractic, in addition to Naturopathy. The guide also mentioned the special requirements for each practice and the prohibitions imposed upon the practitioner and the facilities providing the service, in order to govern, regulate and ensure safety within the Complementary and Alternative Medicine profession.

The guide also contains some general regulations and requirements related to practitioners and facility owners, such as the (Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct) for practitioners, regulations for medical advertising and promotions, as well as the required medical equipment and tools which must be available in facilities to ensure access to safe medical care.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine indicated that the guide is available to all practitioners, facility owners, and those who are interested through the center’s website or Twitter page.