Expats' Health Insurance Revenues Rose By 15% In Kuwait Last Year

The Ministry of Health's revenues from health insurance for expatriates increased by 15 percent last year, or KD13 million - KD100.2 million in fiscal 2021/2022 compared to KD87.116 million in fiscal 2020. Over the past five years, the ministry has received KD490.6 million for health insurance services ($1.6 billion at 304 fils per dollar).

In fiscal 2017/2018, KD94.59 million was collected, KD101.43 million in fiscal 2018/2019, and KD107.28 million in fiscal 2019/2020 - the highest amount to date. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health will study the possibility of unifying the prices of medicines with neighboring countries, reports Al-Rai daily quoting sources. Sources confirmed that the concerned officials in the ministry and other government institutions had earlier discussed this issue with the Federation of Drug Importers. They said Minister of Health Dr Ahmed Al-Awadi is keen on completing this step to provide patients with safe medicines at reasonable prices.

According to a circular distributed to pharmacists and doctors in health districts, 26 medicines have been added to the list of medicines that are exclusive for citizens.

To prevent wastage, rationalize spending by offering alternatives to non-Kuwaitis, and collect KD5 fees from expatriates who are treated in public clinics and KD10 from patients in public hospitals, the ministry issued a decision to regulate the distribution of 372 medicines to Kuwaiti patients. In the meantime, domestic labor expert Bassam Al-Shammari said the collection of treatment or medical service fees from domestic workers in hospitals or clinics contravenes Domestic Labor Law number 68 of 2015, reports Al-Anba daily. In a statement to the daily, Al-Shammari affirmed that the law does not allow any deduction from the salary of a domestic worker. He made the clarification in view of Health Ministry resolution number 383 of 2022 on increasing medical fees for expatriate workers, including household workers. This is an additional problem for the domestic labor market, which has been struggling due to the high cost of recruiting domestic workers - a huge burden for domestic labor recruitment offices and household heads.

According to him, the new resolution would increase the number of complaints between sponsors and workers, not to mention domestic workers' reluctance to work in households. Employers should comply with the Domestic Labor Law, which stipulates that the monthly salary of the worker is calculated from the date he started working and no deductions are allowed. According to Article Nine, the employer is responsible for paying for the domestic worker's food, clothing, treatment, nursing care, and housing expenses.

According to Al-Qabas daily, the Ministry of Health confirmed that its methodology for providing health services has not changed, denying all claims that there is no separation between men and women when it comes to health care. An official Twitter post by the ministry stressed that all medical institutions are committed to protecting and preserving patient privacy and information confidentiality, and stressed the importance of receiving news from official sources and being cautious when publishing controversial articles.

 

Get The Latest and important news on our Telegram Channel click here to join

Comments Post Comment

Leave a Comment

Submit