Precision surgeries not covered by health insurance hospitals

KUWAIT: Health Minister Dr Jamal AlHarbi said services to be provided by health insurance hospitals once they open will not include precision surgeries, which will still have to be done at public specialized centers that would be open to all including expats. Harbi added that health insurance hospitals will serve expats working in the private sector alone, while those working for the government will be treated at public hospitals at the Health Ministry’s expense. A shareholding medical insurance company was established a couple of years ago to build the health insurance hospitals for expats, but a specific date for their completion was not set. Meanwhile, Harbi said that 70 percent of the annual budget set for medicine, which reaches KD 330 million, goes to expats and that less than one third of the budget is spent on citizens. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of honoring a number of inventors, Harbi said the decision to increase health fees on expats was made to match the global

increase in medicine and medical technology prices. He said that the increase does not include urgent cases.

Psychiatric hospital

The Psychiatric Medicine Hospital issued an internal directive on the fees to be collected from expats and exempted cases. According to the directive, exemptions include GCC nationals residing in Kuwait, Kuwaitis’ wives, military personnel in service and their families, martyrs and POWs’ first-degree relatives, inmates, social care home residents and Kuwaiti women’s underage children.

Compensations

Member of the Fadheelah Iraqi Islamic Party Ahmed Al-Ghareebawi said exporting Iraqi gas to Kuwait as part of the 1990/91 Iraqi Invasion compensation imposed on Baghdad will be the best solution, provided that gas is not sold for less than international prices and lead to wastage of Iraqi public funds. Ghareebawi added that Kuwait’s approval to import gas from Iraq to help settle overdue compensations was a very important agreement in view of the current circumstances and the financial crisis Iraq is experiencing amidst its war on terror.

Small projects Well-informed sources said serious steps had been taken to improve the environment needed for small and medium projects and take them a step forward to encourage entrepreneurships, by distributing land plots needed for these projects, as recommended by the World Bank.