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Expats to be banned from Kuwait public hospitals
| Published: | 15 Nov at 6 PM |
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Expats are to be banned from using Kuwait public hospitals by the end of 2020.
Sources from within Kuwait’s healthcare sector have told local media the emirate’s health ministry is planning on banning expats from seeking treatment in local public hospitals. The ban is expected to come into force within the next two to three years. The ministry has also rejected lawmakers’ demands and proposals to reverse its decision to exempt certain expat groups from paying increased healthcare fees. The exemption will now only apply to GCC nationals, children of Kuwaiti women and domestic workers.
According to the same sources, lawmakers were complaining that too large a number of expats were being allowed to claim the exemptions. The list included health ministry staff and others, all of whom are still a burden on public hospitals and are preventing citizens from being seen by medical staff in a timely manner. Apparently, although the new measures will be introduced as planned, the ministry has decided private hospitals need more time to become established in a way which will allow them to provide necessary treatment to all expats living in Kuwait.
Meanwhile, experts are predicting Dubai’s soaring population growth will lead to serious problems as regards infrastructure and maintaining a quality of life for its residents. Statistics released earlier this week state the population now stands at just over three million, one third of the UAE’s total of 9,27 million. By the year 2027, Dubai will be home to over five million people, the vast majority of whom are expected to be expatriates attracted by job opportunities. At the present time, the city’s population is comprised of 70 per cent males and just 30 per cent female residents, and expatriates form 83 per cent of its entire population.
Sources from within Kuwait’s healthcare sector have told local media the emirate’s health ministry is planning on banning expats from seeking treatment in local public hospitals. The ban is expected to come into force within the next two to three years. The ministry has also rejected lawmakers’ demands and proposals to reverse its decision to exempt certain expat groups from paying increased healthcare fees. The exemption will now only apply to GCC nationals, children of Kuwaiti women and domestic workers.
According to the same sources, lawmakers were complaining that too large a number of expats were being allowed to claim the exemptions. The list included health ministry staff and others, all of whom are still a burden on public hospitals and are preventing citizens from being seen by medical staff in a timely manner. Apparently, although the new measures will be introduced as planned, the ministry has decided private hospitals need more time to become established in a way which will allow them to provide necessary treatment to all expats living in Kuwait.
Meanwhile, experts are predicting Dubai’s soaring population growth will lead to serious problems as regards infrastructure and maintaining a quality of life for its residents. Statistics released earlier this week state the population now stands at just over three million, one third of the UAE’s total of 9,27 million. By the year 2027, Dubai will be home to over five million people, the vast majority of whom are expected to be expatriates attracted by job opportunities. At the present time, the city’s population is comprised of 70 per cent males and just 30 per cent female residents, and expatriates form 83 per cent of its entire population.
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