Many CME guides, especially those written for doctors in the US, sort learning into "Category 1" and "Category 2", and the labels turn up in Saudi searches too. SCFHS does not use them. Its CPD rules group activities by how they are approved, and that decides whether an hour ends up in your Mumaris Plus record. Below are the three groups SCFHS uses, how hours are calculated, and the limits you can confirm on SCFHS's own pages.
Does SCFHS use Category 1 and Category 2?
No. The Executive Rules for Continuing Professional Development (issued in 2019) never mention Category 1 or Category 2. Rule 8 says SCFHS accepts activities and programmes in three groups:
- Activities and programmes accredited in advance, before they take place, against set criteria.
- Self-learning activities, accepted after the practitioner documents them.
- Activities recognised after they take place, when they come from external reference bodies.
When people in Saudi Arabia say "Category 1", they usually mean the first group: accredited courses, conferences and workshops. "Category 2" tends to stand in for self-learning. The match is loose, so use SCFHS's own terms when you contact the Commission or fill in a request.
Activities accredited in advance
An SCFHS-accredited provider builds the activity, a scientific committee reviews the content, and SCFHS approves it with a fixed number of hours before it runs. Under Rule 9, the topic has to fall within health practice or the skills that support it, the objectives have to be measurable, speakers need documented experience in the field, the content must be free of commercial bias, and participants need a way to evaluate what they attended.
Online activities belong in this group as well. Rule 5 adds conditions for providers that teach electronically: the activity runs on the provider's SCFHS-approved website, the practitioner can rate it, a mandatory assessment must be passed before hours are given, and the platform has to confirm that the learner actually took part. Providers apply through a separate electronic CPD activity accreditation service.
For activities held inside the Kingdom you do not upload a certificate. The Mumaris Plus FAQ explains that the provider records your attendance on the Mustamir platform, and the hours then show up in Mumaris Plus. If they do not appear, contact the provider first. If that fails, open a Tawasul ticket with the provider's name, the activity approval number and the activity date.
Self-learning
SCFHS defines self-learning as a documented learning activity you carry out after working out your own training needs in a structured way. Rule 12 gives examples: reading scientific journals, volunteering in health, and studying on e-learning platforms that SCFHS has accredited.
Self-learning hours are not added automatically. Rule 13 asks you to document four things before you submit: the learning opportunity you identified, the sources you chose, your timeline, and how the learning affected your practice. The activity must sit within your specialty, and SCFHS decides how many hours each accepted activity is worth.
You apply through the Recognition of CPD Hours service in Mumaris Plus. The service page lists a fee of SAR 100 and a processing time of 30 business days, and it names the proof needed for each activity type. Accepted types include published papers in your specialty, authorship of health books, scientific posters (with the conference acceptance letter), teaching and specialty exam preparation, accredited journal review, journal club participation, quality improvement projects, and health volunteering with SCFHS-accredited entities.
Activities recognised after the event
This group mostly covers conferences, courses and online activities completed outside the Kingdom. Rule 14 sets the conditions:
- The activity comes from a reference body recognised by the authority that accredits CPD in that country, or from a body with a joint accreditation agreement with SCFHS.
- It serves your specialty, or the skills and shared health fields that support it.
- It took place during your current registration period.
- Your documents give enough detail to review it, including the number of hours the reference body accredited.
- Diplomas, master's degrees and doctorates are not accepted in place of CPD activities.
These requests also go through the Recognition of CPD Hours service. The certificate has to show your name, the activity title, the dates, the country, the number of hours, the accreditation number, the accrediting body and the specialty, and it must be in Arabic or English. Our guide to claiming hours from external courses goes through the request step by step.
How SCFHS calculates hours
The executive rules define an educational unit as a theoretical or practical session lasting at least one hour. When SCFHS accredits an activity, Rule 10 allocates one CPD hour for each theoretical unit and two hours for each practical unit. If you register for several units running at the same time, only one of them counts (Rule 11). The CPD bylaw also asks practitioners to submit activities for recognition within two years of completing them.
Is there a cap on online or self-learning hours?
We could not find a general SCFHS rule that limits how much of your requirement can come from online activities. The executive rules do not set a fixed percentage for self-learning either. Accredited online activities reach your record the same way as in-person ones.
The one cap stated on an SCFHS page concerns the Commission's own eCore e-learning programmes, which cover topics such as communication skills, patient safety, infection control and professional ethics. The Mumaris Plus FAQ says these count for up to 12 hours, or at most 50% of the CPD requirement. That FAQ entry is worded inconsistently, so confirm the current position in Mumaris Plus before you rely on it.
The rules quoted here date from 2018 and 2019 and may be updated. Your Mumaris Plus account shows the hours SCFHS has credited and the hours still due. Our guide on checking your CPD hours in Mumaris Plus shows where to look.
What does not count
- Academic qualifications such as a diploma, master's degree or PhD.
- Activities outside your field. Rule 14 and the FAQ both require that the activity serves your specialty or the skills that support it.
- Certificates written in a language other than Arabic or English.
- External activities completed before your current registration period.
How many hours you need
Professional registration is valid for two years. SCFHS's re-registration requirements set the CPD hours per cycle at 20 for technicians, 40 for specialists, 40 for pharmacists and 60 for doctors. Consultants should check that page for their figure. If your hours are short, SCFHS allows a one-year renewal, and only once. The license renewal guide covers the full process.
Where Mulhim courses fit
Mulhim is an SCFHS-accredited CME provider (No. AC10000415), so its courses belong to the first group. Each course is worth 5 CME hours and comes with its own certificate. Mulhim sends the hours to Mumaris Plus, so you do not need to file a recognition request for them. All courses are online and self-paced.
- Browse accredited CME courses by topic. About once a month one accredited course is free.
- Choose a CME bundle of 20, 30 or 40 hours if you want to cover a larger part of your cycle at once.
- See the course paths for nurses, doctors, pharmacists and dentists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SCFHS use Category 1 and Category 2 CME?
No. Its CPD executive rules use three groups: activities accredited in advance, documented self-learning, and external activities recognised afterwards. "Category 1" and "Category 2" come from other countries' systems.
Do accredited online courses count toward my SCFHS hours?
Yes. An online activity from an SCFHS-accredited provider is accredited in advance, like an in-person course. Each Mulhim course is worth 5 CME hours under provider number AC10000415.
Is there a limit on self-learning hours?
The executive rules set no fixed percentage. SCFHS reviews each activity and decides its hours. The only published cap we found is for SCFHS's eCore programmes, so check Mumaris Plus for your case.
Do I need to upload certificates for courses taken in Saudi Arabia?
No. The provider records attendance on Mustamir and the hours reach Mumaris Plus. If hours are missing, contact the provider, then Tawasul.
How do I get a course taken abroad recognised?
Use the Recognition of CPD Hours service in Mumaris Plus (SAR 100, 30 business days). The activity must come from a recognised body, fit your specialty and fall within your current registration period.
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