Committee to announce report on fish deaths

KUWAIT: The National Committee for Combating Fish Death; a state department comprising of several many relevant state departments, is expected to hold a press conference tomorrow to announce its report about the phenomena. The committee’s spokesperson, Environment Public Authority’s (EPA) Deputy Director Mohammad AlEnezi explained that the committee includes representatives from EPA, the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR), Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) and Kuwait University (KU), adding that it will provide a full scientific report about the dying fishes.

Hospitals’ cafeterias

The Patients Support Fund’s (PSF) Board Chairman Dr Mohammed Al-Sharhan said that closing down the society’s cafeterias in public hospitals will deprive thousands of non-Kuwaiti patients from medical treatment. Sharhan explained that the society provides many humanitarian services in various hospitals such a paying the expenses of treating worse off patients including radiology and lab tests and expensive medications in addition to providing wheelchairs, hearing aids, glasses and artificial limbs to patients with special needs. Sharhan said that the society is funded by charity donations and some investment projects such as that of hospitals’ cafeterias, adding that the revenues of those cafeterias are totally used to pay for treating those who cannot afford the cost. “Hundreds of nonKuwaiti and stateless patients are hospitalized on daily basis and the health insurance only reduces the fees and does not completely cancel it,” he explained, noting that some patients cannot even pay the reduced fees of some diagnostic tests.

Sharhan gave an example of the monthly cost of treating a kidney failure patient that it equals KD 360. He noted that the society also supports health facilities by providing some medial and electronic equipment, conduct urgent maintenance operations and build recreational clubs in pediatrics wards.

Unpaid school fees

The Education Ministry’s Acting Director of Private Education Sanad Al-Mutairi asked private school owners to provide him with lists of students who have still not paid the 2016-2017 fees and are not covered by the students’ charity fund. Mutairi added that the department will study each case separately and then make the right decision.

Payroll alternative

The strategic payroll alternative bill will be returned to the parliament’s financial affairs committee to discuss further amendments suggested by the government, said informed sources, noting that the committee’s meeting today will be attended by Finance Minister Anas Al-Saleh, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad AlAbdullah Al-Sabah and Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hind Al-Sabeeh.

The sources added that the strategic payroll alternative bill will be deferred to the coming parliamentary term as the government insists on applying it to governmental bodies including the oil sector, which is a strong point of disagreement. Sources said that the committee’s meeting agenda will include resuming the discussion of protecting Kuwaitis’ salaries and pensions, discussing law number 6/2008 pertaining with turning Kuwait Airways into a shareholding company and establishing the Kuwait Fund for Social Development.

Meanwhile, the health affairs committee is scheduled to discuss the reasons of not activating law number 68/2015 pertaining with domestic helpers and law number 69/2015 pertaining the establishment of a closed shareholding company to recruit domestic labor.