Violations in hiring Indian nurses sent to prosecution
MP Adasani reiterates rejection of fee hikes, taxes
KUWAIT: Health Minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah has referred alleged violations and corruption in the appointment of Indian nurses in the ministry to the public prosecution for legal investigations, a lawmaker said yesterday. MP Rakan Al-Nasef said on Twitter that he had sent a question to the health minister about the suspected violations involving the appointment and the minister told him that the case has been referred to the public prosecution.
Nasef said the case was raised during the grilling of a former health minister. The lawmaker claimed during the grilling that hundreds of nurses were appointed in the ministry after paying large amounts of bribes to senior ministry officials and middlemen. A court trying ministers began last week procedures for the possible trial of former health minister Ali Al-Obaidi and several former top officials over the alleged violations. It was not immediately known if the Indian nurses’ case is among the cases the former officials are being investigated for.
In August this year, Kuwait Times highlighted the plight of 80 Indian nurses promised jobs in Kuwait who have been stuck here for more than two years due to paperwork and red tape. The group of nurses, all with nursing qualifications from India and recruited by health ministry officials, are living in government housing, but are unable to work because their certifications and licensing have been held up. The nurses alleged that the problem stems from corruption in the recruitment process, according to a Kuwait Times source. The source claimed that the jobs of these 80 nurses were taken by another batch of nurses recruited through Dubai.
In April 2015, the Indian government banned the recruitment of nurses through private agencies in a bid to stop massive fee requirements and corruption. Working with the Kuwait government, it established six approved agencies that could recruit nurses for Kuwait. But at the same time, some private agencies rerouted recruitment through Dubai. That recruitment process however was not recognized by the Indian and Kuwait governments, but those nurses still bagged jobs in Kuwait.
Meanwhile, opposition MP Riyadh AlAdasani said yesterday that any government plans to increase charges of public services or impose taxes will be rejected by the National Assembly. The lawmaker said that the government should instead focus on stopping the squandering of public funds in addition to violations and achieving equality and justice in appointments and promotions. The fresh rejection comes amid reports that Kuwait has decided to delay the appointment of the five-percent valueadded tax until 2021.
MP Osama Al-Shaheen yesterday praised Public Works Minister Hussam AlRoumi for insisting on his resignation which he submitted two weeks ago over his ministry’s alleged failure of facing heavy rains that lashed the country. Shaheen praised what he described as a welcome political practice and hoped it will be adopted by others. The lawmaker said that he was informed in an answer to his question that KD 20 billion has been spent on roads in the past few years.
Oil Minister Bakheet Al-Rasheedi also said he had submitted his resignation over the outcome of an oil investigation. It was not immediately known if the resignations have been accepted. A number of lawmakers meanwhile called on Minister of State for Housing Affairs Jenan Bushehri to resign because her ministry is also partly responsible for the failure in facing the rains. The minister said on Twitter yesterday that she has taken all the necessary measures regarding the issue.
The Assembly’s legal and legislative committee is scheduled to discuss today several proposals for adopting summer timing in Kuwait and for amending the electoral districts. On the summer timing, MP Safa Al-Hashem proposed that the clock should be advanced two hours between April 1 and September 30 to take into account the effects of heat in the country.