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Join Date: 04 Mar 2015
Location:  KuwaitPosts: 87 |
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Expat Insurance Eyed, 11,500 Beds In 5 Years |
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Expat Insurance Eyed, 11,500 Beds In 5 Years
KUWAIT CITY, April 10: The Ministry of Health in coordination with the Fatwa and Legislative Committee of the National Assembly is in the process of creating a health insurance system for expatriates according to MP Khalil Al-Saleh. Al-Saleh announced at the beginning of the first week of August this year the Kuwaiti retirees who are registered with the Public Institution for Social Security will have a comprehensive health insurance covered by private hospitals. He added, the Ministry of Health is negotiating now with the Fatwa and Legislation Department to create a health insurance system for expatriates and their treatment in private hospitals He explained the country has chosen a category of retirees (100,000 retirees) as a preliminary experiment and a step towards consolidating the concept of comprehensive insurance for citizens which will include all medical services except cosmetic and plastic surgeries. He said at the moment government hospitals in Kuwait have 5,200-bed capacity but after the new expansion it will have 11,500 beds within 5 years. He explained Kuwait can be transformed into a health center in the region provided there is a vision and willingness from the government to do that. Meanwhile, parliamentary sources said the Health and Social Affairs and Labor Committee of the National Assembly will meet next Sunday to discuss a draft bill about the establishment of stock companies to hire domestic workers, a bill that has created accusations and counter accusations and heated debate during a previous session between the committee and MP Kamel Al-Awadhi who is pushing for the passage of the bill. The sources said the bill still represent skepticism from members of the committee who see it (bill) as benefiting individuals rather than serving general interests. So, the committee is trying to make some amendments to the bill, even though the government would not mind to approve it in its current form. Sources stressed the government will not oppose the bill, rather it will support its passage considering it a part of solution for the problems faced by domestic workers. Furthermore, the sources said the Legislative and Legal Committee of the National Assembly will meet next Sunday to discuss the draft bills concerning the establishment of Supreme Council for Measuring and Monitoring Government Performance in the presence of State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammed Al-Abdullah Al- Sabah. The sources added the prevailing mood in the committee is to approve the bill in support of development, except that the government does not want this move as it has numerous reservations in this regard. In another development, MP Mohammed Al-Jabri called it a disaster if the news he received was true that the Faculty of Medicine has been using toxic materials which cause cancer for medical purposes. He called on the concerned authorities to immediately investigate the veracity of this information and take necessary measures. Source:Arabtimesonline http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/214696/reftab/36/t/Expat-insurance-eyed/Default.aspx |
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