Kuwait To Fulfill Financial Obligations In Us Health Hospitals With Kd 200 Million Transfer

The Ministry of Finance will transfer KD200 million dinars to the Kuwaiti Health Office in Washington at the behest of the Ministry of Health to clear ‘accumulated’ bills in an attempt to avoid lawsuits from US hospitals against the Kuwaiti Health Office in the US, which could cause damage to the reputation of Kuwait abroad, reports Al-Anba daily.

This Council of Ministers urged the Ministry of Health to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to study the claims of American hospitals and take the necessary measures to ensure that Kuwaiti patients continue to receive quality treatment, while the reputation of Kuwait is maintained abroad.

The daily said, quoting informed health sources that the Ministry of Health has been under immense pressure as the budget approved for treatment abroad has been slashed by the authorities, which made it difficult for the Ministry of Health to pay bills due to insufficient funds to cover all expenses for treatments for Kuwaiti patients, which with passing time, the claims from hospitals increased annually.

Another consequence of the failure to keep up with claim payments is that some hospitals and treatment centers abroad have begun refusing to accept Kuwaiti patients for treatment.

Budget

The daily said, quoting sources, that the budget earmarked for treatment abroad during 2020/2021 is KD170 million dinars and this amount cannot be used to cover past claims, especially since 50 percent of this money is spent on patient allowances and their travel tickets, health insurance for students and medicines required by the Ministry of Health, as well as administrative expenses for health offices such as salaries, rents, etc.

Earlier, the Washington Post reported that the Kuwait government owes some of the top hospitals in the United States nearly $700 million in unpaid bills for sophisticated medical care provided to Kuwaiti nationals.

The frustrated institutions have spent years trying to collect the debt. The 45 medical centers — which include Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MD Anderson in Houston and others — have worked unsuccessfully on their own and through the State Department to recoup payments for the specialized cancer, heart, pediatric and other care provided to Kuwaiti. The State Department released a statement that “it has raised this issue with the Kuwaiti government and is working to find a resolution.”

Treatment abroad

As a consequence of the COVID-19 and the economic hardship faced by Kuwait, the cabinet of ministers approved a financial reform plan, which included a 50 per cent cut in the number of citizens receiving medical treatment abroad.

The Kuwaiti government pays for its citizens to receive medical treatment abroad while ensuring the family accompanying the patient has their expenses paid for as well.

Recently, the Ministry of Health managed to recover KD 7.5 million from patients after they have received medical treatment abroad, Al Qabas reported. The funds were recovered within 5 years.

 

SOURCE LINK

Comments Post Comment

Leave a Comment

Submit