Recruitment of domestic workers hits a roadblock
Kuwait no longer a preferred destination for some foreign agencies Minister inaugurates two health centers in Sabah Al-Ahmad Residential City: Dr Sabri
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 23: Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Basil Al-Sabah recently inaugurated the health centers D and E in Sabah Al-Ahmad Residential City, which has become unique with exceptional medical services different from other regions of the State of Kuwait, reports Al-Rai daily.
In a press statement issued on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony, Head of the Sabah Al-Ahmad centers Dr Aseel Al-Sabri explained that center D is a miniature hospital that contains outpatient clinics for 14 departments of medical specialties with secondary health care. Among these departments, the school oral and dental health program, which includes dental treatment clinics for children, and a school health section, as well as medical examination clinics for schools, institutes, universities and vaccinations. The hospital includes abdominal and endocrine clinics, general surgery, orthopedics and urology units, two pediatric and dermatological clinics, gynecology and obstetrics clinics, sonar and fetal planning units.
In addition, there are otolaryngology and audiology clinics, a physiotherapy department, an ophthalmic surgery under preparation, a laboratory for medical examinations, a diagnostic radiology department, an intravenous treatment unit, and a pharmacy.
Dr Al-Sabri explained that the center will receive its clients by taking appointments after being referred from the primary care centers located in all sectors of Sabah Al-Ahmad Residential City, Wafra Residential and Agricultural areas, Sabah Al-Ahmad Marine City, Khairan and Bneider areas. The E center for Primary Health Care has general clinics, clinics for chronic non-communicable diseases, a laboratory, a pharmacy, and a nursing department.
The center will provide healthcare services to the residents of blocks 3, 4, and 5 in the city. It operates from Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
She went on to explain that the city has become unique with exceptional medical services different from other regions of the State of Kuwait, because it contains two primary care centers, namely the Sabah Al-Ahmad Health Center for Primary Care A, which operates 24 hours every day of the week and had 13,425 patients in August, and Sabah Al-Ahmad Center Health Care Primary Care E, which is currently inaugurated.
The city also has Sabah Al-Ahmad Emergency Center, which is considered a miniature emergency hospital in Block B. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide medical services for critical and emergency cases and accident cases.
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 23: “Crisis after crisis” – this perhaps is apt for describing the file of recruitment of domestic workers to Kuwait, after the government’s decision to allow the recruitment of new workers faltered and was met with new obstacles, reports AlQabas daily.
Discussions are still ongoing between the foreign recruitment offices and the Kuwaiti offices in light of the high costs of medical check-ups, quarantine procedures and other steps required prior to the arrival of domestic workers in the country.
In light of the COVID-19 crisis, local offices face new problems with the countries that provide female domestic workers, as Kuwait is no longer a preferred destination for some foreign agencies that have set new requirements to allow entry for their workers.
Indonesia continues to close the door for its domestic workers in Kuwait because of the sponsorship system adopted here.
According to informed sources, Indonesia has started providing its domestic workers to some neighboring countries, but it is still refraining from allowing them to enter Kuwait due to its objection to the sponsorship system.
Delayed
The process for approving the recruitment of Ethiopian workers is being delayed due to the Ethiopian side raising its new requirements to Kuwait, which are underway and being considered by the legal affairs department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kuwait is working on bringing domestic workers from this country, but ensuring they are trained for at least two months in specialized centers, and are fluent in the English language. This was accepted by the Ethiopian side, but the agencies there are not ready to start the training process due to the vagueness in the decision related to permitting to send them to Kuwait.
Opening the way for Ethiopian domestic workers would be the best way to address the current crisis, especially since Ethiopia is not among the 34 countries banned from entering the country.
The sources indicated that the Union of Domestic Labor Recruitment Agencies in Manila asked their representatives in Kuwait to implement their claims regarding sending new contracts.
They said, “The office in the Philippines has requested that the domestic worker be considered for deportation during the six-month probation period in case there is no compatibility between the sponsor and the worker”.
The sources stressed that the demands also include allowing the domestic worker to transfer to another sponsor or to remain under the guarantee of the office or the Public Authority for Manpower until an agreement on the work process and commitment to the concluded contract is reached to ensure the implementation of its provisions between the contracting parties during the trial period, in addition to ensuring the worker’s financial rights and periodic leave.