What does GAHAR require for informed consent and patient rights?

PCC.05 asks for a written list of the processes that need informed consent, a form naming the process, its risks, benefits and alternatives, signed by the patient and the professional and kept in the record. PCC.07 protects dignity and privacy throughout care, and PCC.10 asks for a public complaints route with feedback inside approved timeframes.

Informed consent under PCC.05

The policy must list the processes that need consent, and the list must include simple invasive procedures, dental extractions, family planning interventions, photographic and promotional activities, and radiological examination of a pregnant woman when medically necessary.¹ It covers the likelihood of success, the risk of not acting, benefits and alternatives, when someone other than the patient may consent, staff training, where the forms are kept and how long a consent stays valid, and it covers refusal of care or leaving against medical advice.¹ Consent is obtained in a manner and language the patient understands, signed by the professional with the patient, and kept in the medical record.¹

Privacy, feedback and complaints

PCC.07 asks that the patient's dignity and privacy are protected during all medical care processes, and PCC.09 that services improve on measured patient and family feedback.¹ PCC.10 asks for a policy telling patients how to complain or suggest, tracking each one, naming who responds and setting a timeframe, and surveyors check that the route is public and that patients hear back within approved timeframes according to urgency.¹ Where the facility offers telemedicine, ACT.10 adds a program that verifies and records the identity and location of patient and provider for each encounter and protects the privacy and cybersecurity of health information.¹ The 2021 edition's consent standard is PCC.07 there and PCC.05 in 2025.²

1. Write the consent list. Start from the five processes PCC.05 names, then add your own invasive procedures.
2. Build one form per process. Name the process, its risks, benefits and alternatives, in Arabic and in the patient's language.
3. Place the forms. Put them where they are needed, such as the dental and family planning clinics.
4. Record every consent. Signed by the patient and the professional, dated, and kept in the record.
5. Publish the complaints route. Show patients how to complain, set response times by urgency, and track each case.
6. Report to leaders. Monitor complaints and feedback data and record what changed.

1. Patient name ______ Second identifier ______
2. Process ______
3. Risks ______ Benefits ______ Alternatives ______
4. Likely outcome, and the risk of not proceeding ______
5. Explained in language ______ By ______
6. Consent valid until ______
7. Patient or legal representative signature ______ Date and time ______
8. Professional signature ______ Date and time ______

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Questions

Which processes need informed consent under GAHAR?

PCC.05's list must include simple invasive procedures, dental extractions, family planning interventions, photographic and promotional activities, and radiology for a pregnant woman when medically necessary.

Who signs the GAHAR consent form?

The healthcare professional obtaining consent signs the form with the patient, and consent by someone else must comply with law and regulation.

Must the complaints process be public?

PCC.10 asks the facility to make the complaining process publicly available, and to give feedback within approved timeframes by urgency.

Does GAHAR cover telemedicine?

ACT.10, new in the 2025 edition, applies when the facility's scope includes telemedicine services.

Sources

1. 1General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation (GAHAR), 2025GAHAR Handbook for Primary Healthcare Accreditation Standards, 2025, second editionRead source
2. 2General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation (GAHAR), 2025GAHAR PHC Accreditation Standards 2025, list of amendments from the 2021 editionRead source

Written by the wai team from General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation guidance, checked on 16 October 2026. This is guidance, not legal advice. GAHAR does not endorse wai or any software.