The terms and phrases listed below - wherever they appear in this regulation - shall have the meanings specified next to each of them:

• Authority: Public Health Authority.

• Regulation: Regulation of the Authority.

• Council: Board of Directors of the Authority.

• President: President of the Council.

• Chief Executive Officer: Chief Executive Officer of the Authority.

• Public Health: An integrated and comprehensive perspective on the health of individuals, families, and communities, and the environmental, social, economic, and genetic influences on it.

The authority enjoys legal personality and financial and administrative independence and is organizationally linked to the Minister of Health. Its main headquarters is located in Riyadh, and it has the right to establish branches or offices within the Kingdom as needed.

The Authority aims to protect and promote public health, prevent exposure to infectious and non-infectious diseases, enhance overall readiness to respond to public health emergencies, and organize efforts among relevant entities, in accordance with the applicable legal provisions.

The Authority - without prejudice to the competencies and responsibilities of other entities - shall undertake all necessary actions to achieve its objectives, and it shall specifically exercise the following competencies:

• A- Develop policies, plans, programs, initiatives, and guidelines related to its competencies, review them, evaluate them, and supervise their implementation.

• B- Prepare national strategies in the field of public health in collaboration with relevant entities, submit them for appropriation, and follow up on their implementation after approval.

• C- Propose draft laws and regulations related to its competencies, suggest amendments to existing ones, and submit them to complete the legal procedures regarding them.

• D- Develop readiness and response plans for public health emergencies, in coordination with the World Health Organization and relevant local, regional, and international entities, according to the applicable legal procedures.

• E- Monitor and investigate risks and diseases - communicable and non-communicable - threatening public health, study their health burden, diagnose them, combat them, and follow them up at the national, regional, and international levels.

• F- Approve indicators related to the national health status and the burden of diseases - communicable and non-communicable - and share them with regional and international organizations through official channels.

• G- Develop guidelines and procedures - in coordination with relevant entities - related to safety and preventive healthcare for public health risks and their mitigation, disseminate them to relevant entities, and review and update them periodically.

• H- Establish work procedures, standards, and technical laboratory requirements and procedures for sample referral and transport, in public health laboratories and laboratories that engage in activities related to public health, in coordination with relevant entities.

• I- Approve public health laboratories and laboratories that engage in activities in any of the fields of public health, according to the controls set by the Authority.

• J- Establish public health laboratories under its supervision - including those for biological safety at levels three and four - and operate them.

• K- Approve the establishment of public health laboratories for biological safety at levels three and four, and operate them, according to the classification and controls set by the Authority.

• L- Identify health problems and public health risks, study them, and propose scientific solutions and treatments for them.

• M- Determine health priorities for the transfer of technology related to the production of medicines, vaccines, and serums, and develop them, in coordination with relevant entities.

• N- Establish controls and professional standards - included in its competencies - for conducting activities and tasks related to public health in the public and private sectors.

• O- Approve qualified assessors for accreditation tasks related to its competencies.

• P- Create a database specific to diseases - communicable and non-communicable - epidemics, public health risks, and other areas of public health, and exchange information regarding them with relevant entities, according to governance approved by the Council.

• Q- Document information in the fields of public health, preserve it, and publish it, in coordination with relevant entities.

• R- Establish an automated linking system for public health laboratories and related laboratories; to exchange information in the fields of public health at the national level.

• S- Contribute to raising awareness and health culture, to enhance public health and prevent communicable and non-communicable diseases, through the development of necessary programs and initiatives, in cooperation with health authorities, educational institutions, and civil society organizations.

• T- Provide technical opinions to government entities - upon their request - regarding their purchases and activities related to public health, to contribute to achieving spending efficiency.

• U- Visit sites and facilities where activities have a direct or indirect impact on public health - in coordination with the relevant government entities - gather necessary information, issue recommendations regarding them, and submit what is necessary.

• V- Conduct research, studies, and applied scientific experiments in the fields of public health, and encourage and support researchers and specialists in these fields.

• W- Contribute to qualifying specialized human resources in the fields of public health, enhance the skills and competencies of employees in this field, develop supporting programs for that, and coordinate with relevant entities.

• X- Cooperate and exchange experiences with local, regional, and international organizations, and with consulting firms and specialized research centers inside and outside the Kingdom, within the limits of the Authority's competencies, according to the applicable legal procedures.

• Y- Represent the Kingdom before counterpart entities and in regional and international organizations in the fields of the Authority's competencies, according to the applicable legal procedures.

• Z- Organize exhibitions, conferences, seminars, and workshops, and issue scientific publications in the fields of public health, according to the applicable legal procedures.

1- The Authority shall have a Board of Directors chaired by the Minister of Health, and membership shall include:

• A- The Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.

• B- A representative from the Ministry of Health.

• C- A representative from the Ministry of Interior.

• D- The Secretary-General of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.

• E- A representative from the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing.

• F- A representative from the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.

• G- A representative from the Ministry of Education.

• H- A representative from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.

• I- A representative from the Ministry of Commerce.

• J- A representative from the Saudi Health Council.

• K- The Chief Executive Officer.

• L- Three specialists and experienced persons in the field of the Authority’s work, nominated by the President, and their appointment shall be issued by an order from the Council of Ministers.

2- The ranks of the representatives of government entities shall not be less than the fourteenth rank or its equivalent.

3- The membership term for the members shall be three years, renewable once, except for the President and the members referred to in subparagraphs (A), (D), and (K) of paragraph (1) of this article.

4- The Chairman of the Board may appoint a deputy from among the representatives of the government entities.

The Council is the dominant authority over the affairs of the Authority, its management, and the conduct of its matters. It makes all necessary decisions to achieve its objectives and implement its competencies, and it has, in particular, the following:

• A- Approving policies, plans, programs, and initiatives related to the Authority's competencies, and monitoring their implementation.

• B- Approving drafts of national strategies in the field of public health, submitting them for approval, and monitoring their implementation after approval.

• C- Proposing drafts of laws and regulations related to the Authority's competencies, proposing amendments to existing ones, and submitting them to complete the legal procedures regarding them.

• D- Approving financial and administrative regulations and other internal regulations of the Authority, provided that the approval of administrative regulations is in agreement with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, and the approval of financial regulations and provisions with financial implications in other regulations is in agreement with the Ministry of Finance.

• E- Approving the organizational structure of the Authority.

• F- Approving controls, procedures, indicators, standards, and guidelines related to the Authority's competencies.

• G- Approving the establishment of public health laboratories for biological safety at levels three and four, and operating them.

• H- Determining the financial compensation for the services or works provided by the Authority that the Council deems to require financial compensation.

• I- Approving the rules and procedures for forming scientific and technical committees and working groups within the Authority.

• J- Approving the draft annual budget of the Authority, its final account, the auditor's report, and the annual report; and submitting them according to the applicable legal procedures.

• K- Appointing an external certified auditor (or more) for the Authority's accounts.

• L- Accepting donations, gifts, grants, bequests, and endowments offered to the Authority, according to the applicable legal procedures.

• M- Approving the opening of branches or offices for the Authority.

• N- Approving the conclusion of agreements, memoranda, protocols, and contracts, according to the applicable legal procedures.

• O- Approving the engagement of consulting firms and specialized research centers inside and outside the Kingdom, as well as experts and consultants, to achieve the Authority's objectives.

• P- Approving the investment of the Authority's funds in a manner that achieves its objectives, in accordance with the relevant laws, regulations, and mechanisms.

• Q- Reviewing periodic reports submitted to it regarding the progress of the Authority's work.

The Council may form permanent or temporary committees from its members or others, assigning them tasks as it sees fit. The decision to form each committee shall specify its chairperson, members, and competencies. The committee may seek assistance from whomever it deems necessary to perform the tasks assigned to it.

The Council may delegate some of its tasks to its President, Vice President, any of its members, or the Chief Executive Officer, as required by the workflow in the Authority.

1- The Council meetings are held at the headquarters of the Authority, and may, when necessary, be held at another location within the Kingdom with the approval of the President.

2- The Council meets - at the invitation of its President - at least (four) times a year, or whenever deemed necessary by the President. The President must call the Council to meet if requested by at least half of the members. In all cases, the invitation must be accompanied by an agenda for the meeting.

3- For the Council meeting to be valid, a majority of the members must be present, including the President or his deputy, and decisions are made by a majority of the votes of those present at least. In the event of a tie, the side that the President of the meeting votes for is favored. A Council member may not abstain from voting nor delegate another member to vote on their behalf in their absence.

4- The deliberations and decisions of the Council are recorded in minutes signed by the President of the meeting and the attending members. A dissenting member has the right to record their objection and reasons in the minutes of the Council meeting.

5- The Council may invite specialists and consultants it deems necessary to attend its meetings, without them having the right to vote.

6- The Council - as deemed appropriate by its President - may hold meetings and vote on decisions remotely using modern technological means.

7- The Council has a secretariat responsible for recording the deliberations of its meetings and notifying the relevant departments in the Authority of its decisions.

The Authority shall have a Chief Executive Officer appointed and dismissed by a decision of the Council, which specifies his salary and other financial benefits. He shall manage the affairs of the Authority, and his responsibilities shall be limited to the regulations and what the Council decides. He shall exercise the following competencies:

• A- Supervising the workflow in the Authority and submitting periodic reports to the Council.

• B- Proposing policies, plans, programs, and initiatives related to the competencies of the Authority and submitting them to the Council for approval.

• C- Proposing national strategy projects in the field of public health in collaboration with relevant entities and submitting them to the Council.

• D- Proposing the organizational structure of the Authority and submitting it to the Council for approval.

• E- Proposing controls, procedures, indicators, standards, and guidelines related to the competencies of the Authority and submitting them to the Council for approval.

• F- Proposing the financial and administrative regulations of the Authority and other internal regulations to manage the affairs of the Authority and submitting them to the Council for approval.

• G- Appointing employees in the Authority according to the approved regulations and supervising them.

• H- Implementing programs and all activities of the Authority within the limits of the Authority's annual budget.

• I- Spending from the approved annual budget of the Authority and taking all financial actions according to the applicable regulatory procedures and within the powers delegated to him by the Council.

• J- Representing the Authority before the judiciary, government entities, institutions, and other bodies inside and outside the Kingdom, and other entities inside and outside the Kingdom, with the authority to delegate others in this regard.

• K- Preparing the draft annual budget of the Authority, its final accounts, and the annual report, and submitting them to the Council for approval.

• L- Approving the Authority's organization of conferences, seminars, and scientific meetings related to its activities, according to the applicable regulatory procedures.

• M- Signing agreements, protocols, and contracts within the limits delegated to him by the Council and according to the applicable regulatory procedures.

• N- Following up on the implementation of decisions issued by the Council.

• O- Issuing the necessary decisions to implement the provisions of the regulations and the issued regulations based on them, according to the powers granted to him.

• P- Submitting proposals and recommendations to the Council regarding topics related to the competencies of the Authority.

• Q- Any other competencies or powers assigned to him by the Council.

The Chief Executive Officer may delegate some of his competencies and powers to whomever he sees fit among the Authority's staff, according to what is specified in the Authority's regulations.

A- The authority shall have an independent annual budget, prepared and issued in accordance with the arrangements for issuing the state's general budget.

B- The financial year of the authority is the same as the financial year of the state.