Implementation Of The New Health Fees Will Begin Oct 1, 2017

03 August 2017 Information

Bylaw concerning the value of healthcare services at general hospitals, specialized hospitals and the primary health centers affiliated to the Ministry of Health has been reviewed stipulating fees to be paid by non-Kuwaiti residents who are registered under the health insurance scheme, and implementation of the new fees will begin Oct 1, 2017.

The services include natural child delivery, open heart surgeries, nuclear medicine, radiology tests, laboratory tests, and artificial limbs.

The bylaw stipulates KD 2 for regular consultation at the health centers, and casualty consultation fee at the specialized and general hospitals is now KD 5, while outpatient clinics now cost KD 10 per visit. The cost of admission at the general wards is KD10 per day and intensive care units is KD 30, while patients inside private rooms will be charged KD 50 for admission with guaranty of KD 200.

Visits to the casualty and outpatient clinics will cover medicine, regular X-ray and regular tests, but the cost of admission does not cover surgeries, laboratory tests and X-ray.

Regarding the fee for normal child delivery, the bylaw stipulates KD 10 per visit and normal delivery costs KD 50.

This covers delivery, ultrasound, laboratory tests, medicine and three days stay in the hospital. In case the patient stays beyond the period, it will attract extra KD 10 per day in the general wards and KD 50 for private rooms.

Fees for 74 nuclear medicine tests were also fixed, including bone, regular thyroid activity, cancerous thyroid activity, radioactive iodine, primary hyperparathyroidism, congenital lachrymal, esophagus and gall bladder, kidney, spleen, blood vessels, testicles, breast, bone marrow, suprarenal, neuroma, lymph node, prostate and other tests, which will cost between KD 40 and KD 500.

Fees for 32 radiology tests vary from KD 2-KD 120. The X-ray tests include CT scan, sonar, intervention pregnancy sonar, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and many others. The cost of 84 up and down artificial and electronic limbs for children and adult expatriate residents with disability card ranges from KD 3-KD 6,501, while those without cards will pay between KD 5-KD 9,752.

There are 47 types of medical shoes with accessories for children from ages 2-13, those imported for adults above 13 years of age. Residents with disability card will pay between KD 3-KD 75 for such shoes with related accessories, while those without the card will part with amounts ranging from KD 4-KD 112.500.

Different prices have been fixed for 48 types of medical belts and splints ranging from KD 750-KD 225 for residents holding disability card, while the fees extend to KD 300 for those without the card.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dr Jamal Al-Harbi issued a decision on increasing fees for healthcare services offered to visiting non-Kuwaitis and people who are not registered in the health insurance scheme.

Fees for services will be paid through the online system in all medical facilities, in cooperation with the Information Systems Sector and other relevant authorities. Fees should be paid before availing healthcare services in the form of revenue stamps or through the concerned account clerks.

Decision number 294/2017 stipulates that cases included will not pay for medicines unless they need medicines in observation rooms, as well as admission in wards and intensive care units. It exempts certain cases from payment of fees as they are treated like Kuwaitis and the decision will be implemented from Oct 1.

The decision covers 12 various healthcare services for non-Kuwaiti visitors not registered in the health insurance scheme. Services include primary healthcare, general and specialized hospitals, normal childbirth, surgeries, open heart surgeries, organ transplants, endoscopy, cardiograph, dental, nuclear medicine, radiology tests, laboratory tests and artificial limbs.

According to the decision, the fee for visiting clinics is KD10 excluding medicines, laboratory and radiology tests.

The cost of consulting general and specialized hospitals ranges from KD 20 to KD 300. Visitors will pay KD 20 for visiting outpatient clinics, KD 30 for admission in general wards and KD 70 for private rooms per night. The cost of admission into the intensive care unit is KD 220 per night, while one session of physiotherapy costs KD 30. The cost of admission into a private room is KD 130 per night, while the patient will pay KD 150 to guarantee his admission in the general ward and KD 300 for the same service in the private room.

Visiting the outpatient clinic for the second time during the same month of the first visit entails a fee of KD 15. In case the patient visits the outpatient clinic after the end of the first month from the first visit, the fee will be KD 30. These fees do not include hospital stay, surgeries, laboratory test and X-ray.

For normal childbirth, the admission fee is KD 30 and the fee for normal childbirth itself is KD 400 including ultrasound, laboratory tests, medicines and hospital stay for three nights. If hospital stay exceeds three days, the cost is KD 70 per each day in public wards and KD 130 in private rooms.

Fees for different types of surgeries range from KD 100 to KD 600. One-day surgery costs KD 100 without entering the hospital, one session of melting kidney stones costs KD 150, a minor surgery costs KD 250, a medium surgery costs KD 300, major surgery costs KD 500 and the surgery that needs special skills cost KD 600. These fees exclude the laboratory tests, X-ray and hospital stay.

Fees for open heart surgery and organ transplant range from KD 700 to KD 4,500. The fee for diagnostic catheterization is KD 700; a single stent costs KD 1,000; changing one heart valve without surgery costs KD 4,500; transplanting an artery (therapeutic catheterization) costs KD 3,000; closing a hole in the heart costs KD 2,000; and organ transplant surgery costs KD 2,500. These fees do not include the medicines, laboratory tests, X-ray and hospital stay.

Fees for endoscopic surgeries range from KD 70 to KD 240. The cost of cystoscope surgery (bladder endoscope) including the syringe of dye in the ureter is KD 70 and surgery for bile ducts via the domestic system endoscope costs KD 240. These fees do not include medicines, laboratory tests, X-ray and hospital stay.

The fee for ECG without strenuous or sports activity is KD 25, while the fee for ECG with such activity is KD 70.

Dental service fees range from KD 20 to KD 60. The fee for permanent tooth extraction is KD 20, surgical tooth extraction or with anesthetic costs KD 50, curing abscess costs KD 30, temporary tooth filling costs KD 15, permanent tooth filling costs KD 30, curing the gingivitis costs KD 60, removing the dental nerve and filling the roots costs KD 60.

The fee for teeth, gum and mouth bag surgeries is KD 50; while the treatment of face and fractured jaws costs KD 80. These fees do not include medicines, laboratory tests, X-ray and hospital stay.

Fees for radiology tests vary from KD 90 to KD 800. Test for thyroid activity costs KD 60, indium scan costs KD 100, conducting tests for cancer infected thyroids using thyrogen injection costs KD 790, checking the body with Radioactive Iodine (Radioiodine) Therapy and thyrogen injection costs KD 800, Red Blood Cells (RBC) test costs KD 590, kidneys KD 90 and breasts KD 100.

The treatment of thyroid cancer through Radioactive Iodine (Radioiodine) Therapy using thyrogen injection costs KD 870; treatment of tumor with Zevalin costs KD 4,000; treatment of cancer with Theraphore costs KD 5,000 and treatment for prostate cancer costs KD 4,000.

Fees for X-rays range from KD 40 to KD 240. The fee for Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Interventional Radiology is KD 240; KD 100 for kidney, colon and bladder X-ray; and to KD 160 CT scan.

Fees for lower-prostheses range from KD 20 to KD 2,020. Prosthesis at the hipbone for adults costs KD 648, KD 710 for the one on top of the knee, KD 26 for compression stocking ‘silicon’ and KD 2,020 for artificial knee.

For lower electronic limbs, fees range from KD 40 to KD 13,000 for motor electronics, KD 679 for charger of electrical artificial limbs and KD 526 for silicon liner for the electric limb on top of the knee.

For upper prostheses, fees range from KD 40 for electronic battery base of electronic hand for the part under the elbow up to KD 3,800.

Prices of medical shoes and accessories range from KD 8 for imported heel base and KD 300 for small support device. The price of locally manufactured medical shoes is KD 220 while the imported support is KD 63.500.

Prices of medical belts and splints range from KD 4 for finger splint to KD 1,200 for standers and mobility devices.

 

SOURCE : ARABTIMES

: 2836

Comments Post Comment

Leave a Comment