MoH to terminate services of 387 expatriate employees from July 1

Highest cost of medicine recorded in 2017/2018 at KD 245 mln

KUWAIT CITY, April 17: Health Minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah has terminated the contracts of 253 expatriate employees effective July 1, 2018, a step that comes in line with Civil Service Commission (CSC) regulations to replace expatriates with Kuwaitis, reports Al-Shahed daily.

Meanwhile, the Undersecretary of the ministry Dr Mustafa Redha has terminated the services of 134 expatriates, effective same date for the same reason.

Meanwhile, Dr Basel Al-Sabah disclosed that the total cost incurred by Ministry of Health for purchasing medicines during the period from 2012 to 2017 was one billion and 184 million dinars, reports Al-Qabas daily. He revealed that the 2017/2018 fiscal year recorded the highest cost in this regard with KD 245 million, while the lowest cost in this regard was recorded in the 2012/2013 fiscal year with KD 140 million.

In response to a parliamentary question submitted by MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei, the minister explained that the ministry currently is not planning to launch medicine factories for encouraging the private sector. It plays a supervisory role and grants licenses after ensuring all conditions and standards are met as well as the medicines are in line with the relevant standards.

Dr Al-Sabah affirmed that the ministry confronts all illegal practices, controls disposal of medicines, eliminates misuse of medicines and ensures deserving people are given the medicines by carrying out sudden stock checks at the pharmacies of hospitals from time to time.

The government is preparing to withdraw nearly 5 billion dinars from the Future Generations Fund to cover the budget deficit for 2017/2018, and it will not issue international bonds because this has been refused by the National Assembly, reports Al-Anba daily.

Informed sources said after the National Assembly froze the law to allow the government to borrow 25 billion dinars, the government will have to cover the deficit, which ranges between 5 and 6 billion dinars from the reserve fund.