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Kuwait to segregate medical care

Under the change, Kuwaitis will be given priority for medical checkups at public hospitals and clinics during the morning, with foreigners only able to access doctors in the afternoon, unless it is an emergency.

Staff also will be segregated according to their nationality, with Kuwaitis working in the morning and expat doctors in the afternoon. [Source]

Even though this doesn’t apply to emergency treatment it still doesn’t make it less racist.

242 replies on “Kuwait to segregate medical care”

The world is moving forward. Kuwait is moving backwards. I think it is very racist. Specially for medical care which is priority for anybody.

This is NOTHING like apartheid. Apartheid took black citizens and stripped them of their citizenship. This is a differentiation between citizen and expat which doesn’t make it right but isn’t even close.

You my friend – are an idiot.

apartheid is defined as

1. An official policy of racial segregation involving political, legal, and economic discrimination.
2. A policy or practice of separating or segregating groups.
3. The condition of being separated from others; segregation.racial segregation;

perhaps you are not aware of the number of ppl practically imprisoned in Kuwait by the confiscation of their passports and witholding of income – effectively making whatever citizenship they have useless.

You might as well say its not apartheid because its not whites versus blacks. At some point the definition needs to be extended.

No, the difference is they weren’t born into it and it was voluntary. A true analog to Apartheid in the modern day is Israel.

umm i dont see any mention of being born into it in the definitions. dont make things up as you go along man!

Apartheid was definitely wrong, but you should get your facts right, Apartheid DID NOT strip black people of their South African citizenship!

Look it up they were reclassified into “Tribes”, given citizenship under those tribes, and only allowed to vote in relevant tribal elections like their own mini-country.

Have you forgotten about the stateless Kuwaitis that are born in an apartheid state? Or do you turn a blind eye to all the obvious injustice?

have the courage to call wrong done a wrong.
Even though kuwait has many positive things, but despite all oil wealth expats are not given respectful treatment in many sectors,nor are they given benefits for working 25 years or so. Look at the state of Domestic workers, 75% of whom are facing persecution by non-payment of wages,abuse,threats of deportation or criminal charges if they protest! This is Racism and nothing else.
Accept and change it rather than be in denial and making kuwait’s name worser in the world.

apartheid is a system whereby colonial imperialists enforce national,ethnic or racial segregation NOT where native citizens do so. The word apartheid does not work in this context.

@Qster. The National Party who started apartheid were not colonialists. Their Dutch forefathers of 3 centuries before were.

Define native? Are the Bedoun Native? Are people born in Kuwait ‘native’? Are people who migrated here from Persia, Najd, India a couple of hundreds here ago native?

@desert sky
You’re right, Apartheid (segregation) is a Dutch word. Even though the Dutch withdraw from South Africa in 1803 when the British took over, doesn’t make it a less shameful era from our history.

Apartheid knows many forms and still exists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_apartheid

No colonial power involved anymore.

Oxford Dictionary:
(in South Africa) a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race.

-Kuwaitis (Arabs) in the morning
-Foreigners (Anglo, Asians, Indians, etc.) in the afternoon.

This is on nationality not race. There are Kuwaitis from different ethnicities, and there are Arabs in Kuwait that aren’t Kuwaiti.

This won’t be popular and I don’t agree with it but I can see the reasons why they’d institute it.

If your job gives you medical insurance, you can still use the private hospitals whenever you want. You can also pay to use the private hospitals. Hopefully this will put pressure on employers to give health care as a more common benefit.

Kuwait is still tax free… guess how other countries pay for their hospitals? Foreigners and Kuwaitis alike continue to use it almost free of charge on the country’s dime.

And lastly… it’s still almost free medical care. You just can’t go during a certain time. If they let everyone go all the time but just made foreigners pay 50KD a visit would that somehow be better?

Majority of the expats pay KD 50 per year during their residence renewals.. majority of the companies in kuwait, dont absorb this fee. so its not almost free.

I suggest that they fire their present PR staff and hire a new one, because right now you are getting bashed in the press for a whole string of negative articles about this nation whilst other GCC nations are enjoying positive articles about them that involve positive government performance.

people pay 50kd a year, plus stamp payments for every visit which basically gives you panadol “the wonder drug” even before they asked your name (pre-diagnosed). expats pay for diagnostics like mri and ct-scan. 50% if you have valid insurance.

it’s not about the payment actually. this is the same case when they proposed to have a separate hospital complex for citizens and expats which was turned down, because it will be construed as “racist”.

But if you have valid insurance you could just go private…

The stamp payment is 1KD, obviously the stamp+50KD a year isn’t covering the expenses and they realized they have to do something before they resort to taxes.

All of this looks like a ramp up to initiating an income tax.

Then maybe your leaders should have passed a law mandating that employers pay for healthcare for their employees at a fixed rate which would allow the government to upgrade the system. Other productive GCC nations such as the
UAE and Qatar have hired DM Healthcare to build quality healthcare facilities for expat workers. What your government could have done is to allocate certain clinics for labourers to use, such as in Khaita, for the use of only expat workers. It is the segregation of employees that I think sends the alarm bells off with regards to aparteid. Basically I am going to say it although no one else has the nerve to do here and that is most expats are below the poverty level from the sub-continent and they do not shower – their filthy, so your people don’t want them around them and because they comprise most of the expat labour force in the country, they overwhelm the system. My flights to Dubai are full of Kuwaitis now going to Dubai for healthcare, so there are obvious problems in the system and most people in Kuwait opt for private rather than public anyway. I think they should abolish free healthcare and the government set up a private insurance company that does not discriminate against patients (ie. pre-existing conditions) and EVERYONE pay into the system. How about that buddy?

Read the responses that you got in the UAE press on this matter. Even people e-mailed from Canada, purportedly, and called on all expats to leave Kuwait. You say yeh, not so fast, you still need expats to fullfill this momentary construction boom.

I’m pretty sure this isn’t an actual law yet that has gone through all the approvals so might be a bit premature

for your info the stamp is KD 2/- and you need to pay for CT or XRay’s etc etc..

Do you even have any idea about how much % of expats use the medical facility here ??, am here for last 9 years never used the medical facility here and there are many who have done the same, so when you are loosing money on someone, you are gaining from others

@aaa, 90% of expats dont get private medical insurance.So most have to visit the clinics in their governorate where the docs only prescribe panadol,brufen or antibiotic no matter how serious the health issue is. For a Labourer for gets paid 35Kd a month, 50 kd of medical insurance & 1KD fee for every visit along with payment for X-ray,Scan is not Cheap!

Actually expats pay 40 KD a year for Govt medical insurance and its obligatory. So its not free as you mentioned. I would rather not use this pay this 40 KD and add to it 100 KD more and get a proper medical insurance.

TAX FREE for now! At least for Kuwaiti’s that is. you did see that Expats might be taxed soon right?

50 KD INSURANCE MONEY IS PAID AT THE TIME OF RESIDENCY. 5 PPL IN MY FAMILY DONT VISIT THE HOSPITALS EVEN TWICE A YEAR STILL WE PAY. THINK OF HOW MUCH MONEY KUWAIT IS MAKING OUT OF IT. THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH

medical insurance charge for one year in kuwait is 50 kd. For each hospital visit 2kd is the consultation charge. For an average labourer in kuwait who earns between 200 to 300 kd in a months salary visiting a private hospital is more comfortable namely because you are not discriminated and you are only paying 3 to 5 kd as consultation charge. If you buy 10 kd worth of medicine each visit you have to fall sick 5 times a year to reach the 50 kd medical insurance you paid.

it is rubbish what you say @aaa as this restrictions would hit mostly at the poorest labourers who slave for less than 100 KD a month here and work shifts quite often.

would be interesting to see that happen..
Local doctors, nurses and medication for the locals and
expat doctors, nurses and medication for the expats…
would that be discriminating?

HAHA…i am sure they didn’t think about a law for that. Afterall they cannot Segregate 100% , or else kuwaitis need to work as nurses too which they never will

Numbers are increasing, but go and check how much % is REALLY working…

by working i don’t mean on their IPhone’s and chit chat

I am a nurse of MOH. I work at a clinic in Capital Area and I never heard something funny like this.

Maybe this is an early edition of April Fool in 2013.

Kuwait is an Unfriendly Nation!!!
What the hell are u talking about???
Need to plan to move elsewhere asap…
Where human beings are recognized not looked down upon…

Exactly! Kuwaitis want nothing to do with Kuwaiti doctors, it’s just that the consultants in the gov system seem to be the best bet if you are opting for free healthcare. I would think that most intelligent people feel that the government system is flawed and will not recieve adequate healthcare anyway and the rich go to London with wasta. Really, I can’t believe how many Kuwaitis are wheelchaired on my Jazeera flights to Dubai. I would never go into a government hospital, would you?

Haha and my Kuwaiti friends always tell me how f***&d up America is the more they pulls this s**t here the more my pride returns. Even illegal immigrants in the states get better treatment than this and they can actually become citizens! The government here is crazier than a 9 eyed monkey.

“Even illegal immigrants in the states get better treatment than this and they can actually become citizens!”

No they can’t, only a certain percentage can and only if they have kids BORN in the states which is rare. And don’t talk about illegals in healthcare they spend hours doing jobs in terrible conditions and they don’t have any form of insurance nor can they access the country’s legal institutions as they’re not citizens. How about you move there illegaly and we’ll see how long you’ll last.

well at least they can walk in the streets without some random guy asking where their identification paper is (or what they are doing at this x place at the x time)?

Lets see a show of hands here on how many us believe Kuwaitis will still show up in the afternoon and in the evening seeking medical treatment inspite of the ruling?? And how many of you here actually believe he or she will be turned away and be told to come in the morning because they are NOT EXPATS!! I see lots of hands up on question 1 and just a couple in the back on question 2

Next very soon they will be segregating based on religion and sub-castes.

Muslim?? What Shia ya Sunni?? Shia?? Come Mondays and Wednesdays afternoon only
Sunni?? Saturday & Thursday afternoon only
Christian?? Tuesday & Sunday Afternoon only
Hindu, Buddhist or any other Idol worshiping religions??? Must get special appointment from MOH before coming

Friday NO medical treatment for ANY Expats as it is an off day and most Kuwaiti doctors and nurses are too hung over to get up early on the weekend after Thursday night partying and can only come in to treat their fellow Kuwaitis in the afternoon.

Hold on Please….

Only the The Health Zones Council has approved the proposal to allot the morning shift in public health centers for Kuwaitis and the evening shift for expatriates.

Next Step is to submit the proposal to the Ministry of Health Undersecretary for approval before referring it to the minister and then the Cabinet.

Lets hope that either MOH or Cabinet may not agree with the proposal.

Kuwait is a racist country (no offense to anyone and I hope that you do not feel offended), I think they would.

Either way this is an outrage…

“Treat people the way you want them to treat you” the Arabic saying does not imply to all Kuwaiti people.

(off topic)
this reminds me of an instance when i travelled back to my home country and saw a kuwaiti standing at the immigration counter without a visa. He was refused entry and all he could yell was “anna Kuwaiti” – umm .. “so?”
Sorry but its just this one guy, doesnt necessarily mean all Kuwaitis are the same. 🙂

Well, once in my school parents were not allowed after around like 9AM and there was a woman shouting & yelling at the security guard “Ana Kuwaiti !” Well, if you’re Kuwaiti, it doesn’t mean that you’re a human being with super powers.

Lets be rational at the pace of what Kuwait is going through. but before i say that, There is an arabic saying about smoking cigarettes “بدايتها ولع و اخرتها ولع” meaning smoking starts for fun but you will end up burning. And that is who I feel about this subject.

Now there is no treatment for expats on in the afternoon.
Next no treatment at all,
After a few months, no expats are allowed in Kuwait,
Few years in time, all expats must leave Kuwait.

Yet, I wonder what the F*** am I still doing here.

Only Kuwaitis in the morning seems like we will not find any kind of employees around very sooon it’s a good excuse to not go to work , in the previous national holidays around 60K sick leaves were submitted to bridge the days off with the weekend so just imagine if only locals are allowed for medical treatments in the morning 🙂

Plus I really think this should be implemented mainly because I want to walk into a Public Service office and see Kuwaitis working, at least for their own citizens. Not just health care but every sector in Kuwait should be segregated; would love to see how many businesses are actually running during the day. If not anything this should definitely improve Kuwait’s ranking in the world’s unfriendliest nations.

Yes but but it just got accepted by the council of medical zones…

“However, Kuwaiti daily Arabic newspaper Al-Anba reported on Sunday that the proposal had been accepted by the Council of Medical Zones.”

@B.Mansoor Correction.. No treatment for Expats in the Morning.. The proposal is to treat us poor expats only in the afternoon !!

And be care full if you ask the question about what the F*** you are doing here you may get a classic ” GTFO if you dont like it” in reply 😉

Cheers

Here is an example of how the drastic imbalance between citizens and foreigners (2 foreigners for each citizen) is forcing our incompetent government to make irrational decisions. The large number of foreigners is putting great pressure on public resources and the answer is not segregation or you might as well segregate the roads because traffic jams are a problem too. Either improve the infrastructure or limit the foreign population. It is abundantly clear to the non-expert, our current infrastructure cannot absorb three million people.

You my friend are living in your own world, You need to look at things with an unbiased/no racist view.

If the expats leave you won’t be living a very comfortable life. Infact it will be horrid.

You should think of ways how to change the situation , in which all communities can live in harmony.

There is nothing racist in what I said. I am talking about nationality and not race. You’re probably projecting your own racist attitudes onto others because you see things that exist only in your head. Foreigners are here not to help citizens live a comfortable life. They are here to make a living and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, for each honest, hard working foreigner there are at least two who are here illegally. I wouldn’t be shocked if there are 200,000 illegal aliens in Kuwait. Each random MOI bust yields no less than 500 of them. Add to that an equal number whose services are simply not needed. For example, why would a family of four have four maids? This is absurd and it must be regulated. The corrupt sponsorship system must also be changed or abolished. This system does nothing but produce thousands of men who roam the streets without work and eventually end up in a life of crime. So, this is not about race. The criminal who wants to steal your car doesn’t care if you’re black or white or Asian. He wants to dismantle your car and sell the parts. That’s how he makes a living in Kuwait.

1. The way to eliminate these illegal aliens isn’t to target the mostly hard working, honest expat population, and to propose such ridiculous policies.
2. The instance about a family of four with four maids points to issues with the family and their possibly lazy culture and upbringing (coupled w the abundant resources to afford such help) than having to do anything w the workers themselves.
3. Yes, the sponsorship system must be cancelled, thanks for admitting. But I don’t see many laws being proposed/passed in that aspect, but for a few promises now and then.

You misinterpreted what Buzz said. He’s saying that due to various different reasons, there is a large imbalance of the demography of Kuwait. This imbalance is causing strain on the infrastructure, including the health system (among other reasons). He also says this is stupid logic as a response to that strain (“might as well segregate the roads”), and that we have to objectively look at the need for so many expats (e.g. 2 drivers, 4 maids, a street cleaner on every corner and “cupcake” P2BK’ers using domestic help to cook in their home kitchen).

There are numerous posts on this blog about the country grinding to a halt if all the expats left. Just like there are 4 Kuwaitis doing the job of one (poorly) in the ministries, there is a large percentage of expats that are not bringing skilled labor to the table or “double booking” job positions as well, and hence the problem is more complicated than simply “you can’t live without us”.

For as many complaints I hear expats give about Kuwaiti racism, ignorance, etc, I hear just as many directed from the same people to other expats; for example, how many times have you heard “Egyptians are idiots.” This isn’t representative of a nationality actually being stupid, but the influx of unskilled labor filling positions at lower salaries, and hence bringing in lower-quality work and services. Because, face it, if a big player in Dubai called you to come work there, you would jump in a heartbeat.

Additionally, it isn’t only the Kuwaitis that abuse this system, but expats as well. For example, my complex has numerous dog owners. I and 3 other dog owners (note I am the only Kuwaiti) actually walk our own dogs multiple times in a day. The remaining 10 other dog owners have their maids do it. These dog owners range from Indian, to Egyptian, to Lebanese.
I personally don’t have a maid, and have a very large apartment. Do they really need their 1 or even 2 maids to live comfortably?

Wow. You really got me. All of what I wrote, and that’s what you take it as.

What I said was that people point fingers at Kuwaitis, but turn a blind eye to their own actions. “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

Khalid is correct on many levels and I am an expat, but what people fail to understand is cause and effect. I believe that 1/3 of all expats are illegal, and why is that? Because mainly Kuwaiti visa trading that has gone on for years, sometimes through the grapevine it is rumored by influential people, are thrusting tons of people on the streets that has created cesspool ghettos in the country, congested the roads and overwhelmed the healthcare system, so hence cause and effect. So instead of taking note on how other GCC nations are handling these issues they resort to some racist policy that makes Kuwait look very bad in the press. But Khalid is correct, the system is abused by everyone in Kuwait, not by Kuwaitis, but again, the lack of controls in the system causes the residents to exploit this nation. Kuwait needs to dialogue more with neighboring GCC nations to work on restructuring their society, because all the answers to their problems have already been solved in countries like the UAE and Qatar. Simple.

My wife ha s a case in the Ministry that is going to finalized tomorrow, THANK GOD! It has taken them 10 months to clear her parents name so that she can take my last name on her civil id. The male Kuwaiti that works on the same floor as the Kuwaiti women that process the paperworks to the departments said that the woman that handled her case was constantly absent, that was the reason in her delayed clearance. The other ladies that handle cases in there got clearances for their cases cleared in 3-5 months! Talk about committing government fraud and keeping people from moving on with their lives. My wife was terminated from her job because of this useless woman taking her sweet ass time or just not being at work all together!

Kuwaiti man, foreign wife, both with the flu: Does he have to show up in the morning and bring her back in the afternoon?

No, they don’t. From the renewal of registration to the medical services, I haven’t seen any difference. The only difference I’ve noted that the fees for the expat health insurance are cheaper and for a longer term.

Funny thing is that most health care are expats. I hate that word “expat”, its sounds negative. Anyway its like saying to the doctor treating you “well we are not going to treat your family, we own you now, you treat us first”.

They should start selling tickets in hospitals………the new arena for MMA, they would make tons of money.

So expats pay 50kd insurance per year (Kuwaiti’s don’t), and pay a fee at every checkup (Kuwaiti’s don’t), expats insurance and fee does not cover heavy chronic treatment……but Kuwaiti’s get free everything all inclusive. This is not discriminatory only, its theft in broad daylight. The expats are funding the government for them to give “better care” to the Kuwaiti’s…so who should be getting the priority here!

Also, obligatory insurance for residence (50KD) brings in around 135 Million KD excluding check up fees (2.7 million x 50) mind you THE LAST PUBLIC HOSPITAL BUILT IN KUWAIT WAS IN THE 80’s! So take me for an idiot, but around 1/5 a billion dollars fund a portion and a good portion of the entire medical system in Kuwait, so it is a theft if one group benefits more than the other “the paying ones”.

While they don’t notice it, but the expat community representing 2/3 of the population is also driving the local economy on all and every level, so this attitude of being a pressure on the economy is BS and the fact is otherwise…..they are efficient at work, they are skilled, they manage and execute and represent over 70% of the labor force, they rent homes, buy cars, shop, eat, drink THEY ARE THE DAMN ECONOMY.

Racist and thieves

it doesnt end there… 50 kd for insurance. 5 kd here for this stamp, 2kd for id renewals etc … its a million KD revenue every YEAR for kuwait.

i dont know why they say that expats are taking everything free from kuwait.

Sorry the rich woman lost her expensive silverware and smacked the maid. Took it out of her paycheck, accused her of hurting someone, deported her. Why did she have her? How did the rich woman have so much?

I’m confused about this article- This is not new! All the govt. medical facilities me and my familiy have used in the past 12 months have had this policy of Kuwaitis in the morning, Expats in the afternoon, (both dental and medical; Adan Hospital is an example.) The only exception is when I had to take my son to emergency in the morning- Straight through, thank god.

This is not to hate on Kuwait at all, I’m one of the people that believes “It’s their house, their rules, their right”.

However, I also believe in my right as well.

I was born in Kuwait 28 years ago, so did my two siblings, my mother was in Kuwait since she was 14 years old. My family is one of those that have a long history in Kuwait, but that of course has no difference whatsoever, understandable though, their roof, their rules.

I really did like Kuwait, but all the changes and attitudes lately made my whole family make a decision.

I already left Kuwait, siblings did too. My parents are in the process of finishing up paperwork and getting rid of belongings to leave Kuwait as we speak, I’d say a month at the most.

Even though my family is small and it wouldn’t make any difference if we left, but it just shows you how fed up we were of all the differentiation, racism, nose up high attitude.

Though, it’s not from all, I have to give credit to the good people, but, the bad is overlapping the good.

So long Kuwait, it was nice while it lasted, but I can’t take it anymore.

It’s not you, it’s me.

you, me and lots of people like us who where born here educated to the highest level and considered Kuwait to be there home , we all cared about Kuwait , we cared about our work what ever it was as we where building our home (Kuwait) but now with all these changes we will leave and new people will come here people who don’t consider Kuwait as there home but just to make money and leave in few years, they wont care what kind of a job they are doing how good they do it , just how much they can make before they leave.
i have seen this in my work as an engineer , the new people just want money and don’t care about the quality of work ( we are not going to live here for long , we are going back in few years ) is what they say

“the new people just want money and don’t care about the quality of work ( we are not going to live here for long , we are going back in few years ) is what they say”

EXACTLY. Quality workers go to the UAE or can work in their home country, while the long-standing expat families here look more and more to leaving.

The long-standing expat families that have lived for four generations and around 80 years in kuwait hav any more rights than the new, unskilled expats??

There must be a reason why these families are forced to leave in the first place.

Not sure if you’re referring to my reply, but we chose to leave, we just decided Kuwait is not for us anymore.

Also, to answer your question, yes, there is no difference between an expat that got his residency yesterday and another that got it 40 years ago, or was born in Kuwait. At the end, we’re just temporary workers with their families, once the contract ends and there isn’t a renewal or a replacement contract, you’re out of there.

I feel the same way as you now Sam , I dont have any qualms either if we moved back to our country, it may not be as safe as kuwait but I rather now just invest my efforts into building my native land and helping the people out there.

In medical school, one thing you will always hear is “First do no harm.” The medical code of ethics is something a good physician should never forget. They go on explaining time and time again that physicians should never base their treatment or judge a person based on neither their gender, race, nor creed. Whether you’re a Kuwaiti or not, in the end we’re all human with every inch of our being composed of the same groups of organs and cells. To do this is highly unethical and goes against what it truly means to be a physician. We are all entitled to the same quality of health care. Oh and please don’t start spraying around answers such as, “It’s our country”, etcetera.

Be that as it may, as a Kuwaiti how would you like it if the tables were turned? And while you’re at it, why don’t you learn to stop blaming everything wrong with Kuwait on foreigners. I do believe it’s you (i.e. your countrymen) doing all the decision making.

P.S. I know not every physician is a saint. But this is about health care as a whole, and not about the couple of nasty physicians.

P.P.S Health care is for all, and not just for you. Others should NOT have to neither wait nor follow your life’s time schedule to be able to seek for medical assistance.

btw, this segregation scheme is happening already in other departments. take the traffic department for renewal of driving license. locals in the morning (crowded) and well imagine the expats in the afternoon…. hell!

It is also segregated in the traffic departments when trying to switch ownership. I ran into this problem when I was trying to sell my car and after going to 5 different places we ended up at a window with a Kuwaiti chick asking me my nationality and after I said I was American she was like this time is only for Kuwaiti citizens come back later. I’m married to a Kuwaiti but what am I supposed to do, have him with me every second as proof? They already ask for our marriage certificate at the clinics as proof that I’m not his gf. Just grin and bear it!

There is really no use of debating over this topic because they say “It is their country, get the hell out of here”

I just don’t want rude masri doctors who hands over only Panadol, Ruby Calm and cough syrup during afternoon.

Kindly appoint a wise doctor !

Not everyone will say “it is their country, get the hell out.” You’re more than welcome to stay :). Is it wrong to discriminate when it comes to healthcare? Yes it is wrong. But what is also wrong is when “Advanced” countries do the same and people accept it. NHS in the UK recently also does not treat foreigners without a local UK NHS card. last I remember, the US won’t treat you even if you’re dying unless you have a health insurance. Someone please correct me if the law also changed in UK and US.

Y the rude “masri” comment, do we have to be racist one way or another and then we get upset when people discriminate against us? that was uncalled for!

my brother married a girl from an arabic country … they provide free medical care for their citizens

why is it that my brother has to pay for it in his wifes country and his wife doesn’t have to pay in kuwait since she’s married to a kuwaiti (she is not kuwaiti yet) ?

we should stop spoiling everyone. we are getting used.

And does this arabic country ask you to fall sick in the afternoon and not provide the same treatment that is given to their citizens? there is, in my opinion, a difference between getting used and being fair.

Another interesting turn of events. Healthcare should be equal. I don`t think that anyone would argue against that, but the implications of having a segregated healthcare system is far reaching. Although one could argue that given the fact that all healthcare in Kuwait is shit and the whole system is corrupt you aren`t really missing out on much. Plus the definition of an emergency is very relative. You could easily write a whole article on this and still not come up with a fair way to distribute healthcare in Kuwait.

“Staff also will be segregated according to their nationality, with Kuwaitis working in the morning and expat doctors in the afternoon.”

I just wonder, are there enough Kuwaiti doctors? Or, the number of specialized Kuwaiti doctors?

What if a Kuwaiti has a health issue and there is/are only expat doctors that is specialized in his situation?

OR, did I miss something important in this “bill” ?

It is happening
There are diffrent suggestion to solve the traffic issue one of them is expat cant drive alone ( they must be 2 in one car at least ) or they will be fined.
And for the ppl who call for the expat to be kicked out of Kuwait I ask who will rent all these apartment building the Kuwaitis build ??

This is only for outpatient clinics .. NOT the emergency ..

In Mubarak Hospital for example the system was in reverse for cardio clinics .. Kuwaitis in afternoon ( to avoid the morning’s crowd ), but it turned out to be more annoying since all the labs for xray and other radiology’s department work only in the morning, so patients should come back the following morning for xray.

Many Kuwaitis complained about that system, which was beneficial for foreigners since they could finish all their tests in one visit ( morning ).

This new law just announced with the new minister of health after all previous complaints..

In my opinion they should establish an overtime for labs workers and radiologists, with this, AM or PM clinics will be fairly the same.

Note: Nearly all outpatients clinics need a referral from a GP from a polyclinc. Others work only with appointments or routine observations for the patients with their doctors after operations. In both scenario, this is not an emergency.

What I learned from these comments is that Mark you need a like button and Kuwait’s getting worse and I’m going to gtfo of here asap. Now I’d rather live anywhere else around the world instead of my own country.

Kind of feel sad for you, I get that you’re proud of your country, but to think that nothing else is compared to its “glory”, is unrealistic to say the least.

I can assure you, I will never return and definitely will not have my tail between my legs.

Not all expats are/were in Kuwait for the money, my family wasn’t, we simply stayed there because we truly believed in Kuwait, loved it even, but like I said in my earlier comment, no matter how long you stay there, live there, love it, at the end, we are all just expats to Kuwait’s legal system, once the need for us is over (the contract), we’re thrown away and replaced.

I’m very thankful that I never had to face a situation like that, because whenever I got the “you’re here for the money” response, it would make me giggle, because at least for my family and me, money was never an issue.

Though, it is for others, I wish them all well and success, but to even comment on the people that are trying to have a better way of life and say “you’ll be back with your tail between your legs”, that’s exactly what I mean, almost feels like slaves.

KA isn’t an expat though. Most Kuwaitis that leave and decide to never come back don’t realize how coddled they are here and what the real world is like.

I completely understand if an expat wants to leave because honestly there are so many other countries that would give them a better life and an eventual citizenship, if I wanted to leave my country I would try my hardest to move to the US or Canada where you can eventually integrate.

From my own experience, Kuwaitis that decide to try their hand at being independent outside of Kuwait don’t realize how much they take for granted, that nobody will pay you a livable wage just because you’re Kuwaiti, that you’ll have to work a second job as a waiter to pay rent, that the job markets are much more competitive, that things cost more relative to the income you’ll probably be making.

LOL? I’m already living outside Kuwait. Not all of us can’t handle it, I just go back a few times a year, and trust me its the best decision I’ve ever made.

This reeks of South Africa- the apartheid days.
What’s next? A special lane on the expressway for expats to drive in??

Segregation is never a good idea.
Next, even kuwaitis will be segregated by religion, then tribes, and then age, then sex and then even hair color.
This form of racism will only open the door to further racism.
Racism should be stopped not encouraged.

I think it is advantageous in these GCC countries to segregate the sexes. I love going to the women’s section in Dubai when I update my iqama, it makes my visa process SO much easier.

u need a like button and a GTFOQ8 button make life easier and statistically speaking would be quite interesting to see the numbers at the end.

The bill is racist…period. As an expat who lived in Kuwait and so did my parents and grandparents all i gotta say is:

i loved kuwait but kuwait never loved me back

Personally I think this is a good idea. Locals can abuse their own doctors and nurses instead of taking it out on expat doctors and Nurses who are just trying to do their jobs.

This Kuwaiti is ashamed and disgusted.

How would Kuwaitis feel if the rest of the world only decided to treat Kuwaitis between certain hours?

Let’s hope someone in the government sees sense and relegates this proposal to the dustbin.

You know that what goes around comes around, and sooner or later you’ll see Kuwaitis being discriminated too, and the sad thing is that those who had nothing to do with this bill will suffer the most.

There is no doubt that citizens always deserve/reserve the right to the best of services after all its their country. Where else they can look for? However, having said this what if suddenly all other countries start doing the same and say Kuwaitis are allowed treatment in UK or USA only in the evening? Health services are important to every human being irrespective of their nationality. Many of the expats have never even visited govt. clinics or hospitals and even without insurance prefer to pay and go to the private hospitals due to the pathetic state of diagnostic and treatment. Also then don’t forget that the medicines given out to expats in govt. hospitals are different from the ones given to citizens. It may be the same name but its definitely not made in the same place.

It has to be called off. Its against International Human rights laid down by WHO. The Right to Health clearly states
*’Equal and timely access to basic health services’ (pg4)
*’prevent discriminatory denial of health care
or health services'(pg18)
*’parties should respect the right of non-citizens to an
adequate standard of physical and mental health by, inter alia, refraining
from denying or limiting their access to preventive, curative and palliative
health services'(pg20)

-Link(https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/Factsheet31.pdf)

Had to do a project in college, so yea, I know my stuff.

If you did know your stuff, you’d know that the WHO has no legislative or enforcement powers for the hot air it emits. The UN is a joke.

This is not going to pass!
It was probably thought of by some bureaucrat doctor, who got appointed for reasons other than his management and/or medical skills and is playing to the gallery of people who played a role in appointing him.
There were others before him, who had to face the same issues but did not think of segregating patients.
Kuwait has always been generous. This has to be vetted by at least 2 more levels, as was mentioned earlier and this will not pass!

For many years I would visit expats in the hospitals in Kuwait, because let’s face it, when you are alone in a foreign country, you don’t have anyone to visit you or to bring you necessites like toothbrushes and pajamas. The government hospitals were always segregated from expats, however, they didn’t segregate the staff.

I don’t blame this new proposal. Based on the last few posts by Mark;
1. Kuwaitis can’t get decent apartments to rent
2. Pay way more than expats for booze and drugs
The least we can do is let them get healthcare during daytime. [/sarcasm]

*for those who don’t have a sarcasm detector*

“If Kuwaitis are waiting hours for a doctor during working hours, the best thing to do would be to have the evening times for Kuwaitis since most of them work a straight shift and could then visit the doctor without having to take time off work. As most expats are working mornings and evenings they will have to take time off work either way.

Better still, you could scrap this rediculous system before it goes any further, and either charge employers more for their employees health cards or force them to provide basic private health insurance for their staff.”

The real solution to a lot of this is to make the employers shoulder the costs but they’re the ones with seats in parliament

I’m a Kuwaiti and even though we as Kuwaitis are facing problems with apartments and other stuff but still we shouldn’t treat foreigners like that. Let’s face it we should recognize that expats are the ones who built the country and modernize it, of course by our supervision to a certain degree. Many of us Kuwaitis especially in the public sector goes to work and do nothing. We should treat them good and equally at least. Look at the first world countries and how they treat expats and encourage expats, at least at some fields, to come and work for them to improve their country.

Having bad medical system is no excuse to treat expats like that. No wonder we have bad reputation and many countries despise us. Let’s not forget we used to work as an expats for many countries in the past including India. If our oil finishes how do you want people to treat your children when they are forced to work in other countries? Think about it.

We have too much pride and ego for a small country in the middle on unstable region surrounded by countries 10X more powerful than us. Especially that we got out-ranked and pushed back in the last 20 years to the least advanced country in the region and G.C.C.

As much as I hate this segregation and how backward mentality is this. Let’s not forget many countries treats expats like that. First country comes to mind is Ukraine.

1. A Bechtel-led consortium is designing and building a new $1.8 billion passenger terminal complex at Muscat International Airport in Oman.
2.Dubai Airports opened, on 13 January 2013, of Concourse A, the world’s first A380 facility at Dubai International’s Terminal. Dubai has completed terminal 4.
3. Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) will open its new terminal on March 21, a move that is expected to almost triple the airport’s capacity. The Foster and Partners, who also designed an airport for Kuwait that has never been built, designed this terminal for Jordan. In Aug 2012, Kuwait agreed to donate $1.25 billion for Jordanian development projects.
4.Hamad International Airport in Qatar is scheduled to open on 1 April 2013.
5.Kuwait is segregating hospitals and has never started construction on a new airport, which can no longer handle the passenger levels, and was voted the most unfriendliest nation for tourists in 2013.

Hmm
Oman: Royal Decree, no meaningful elected officials
UAE: Royal Decree, no meaningful elected officials
Jordan: Royal Decree, no meaningful elected officials
Qatar: Royal Decree, no meaningful elected officials
Kuwait: Parliament has to approve

But I forgot Democracy is always good with no drawbacks

Most expats working in the government and private sector have got medical insurance (paid by government and the company they work in), on the other hand Kuwaitis in the government sector don’t have any kind of medical insurance which makes some of them obliged to seek medical help in governmental hospitals which are mostly crap. So you tell me who is being treated better expats or Kuwaitis. Btw most Kuwaitis work in the government sector.

So the solution is restrict medical care to expats?
Basically improve the service offered to one section of society by treating the other like crap?

you my friend belong to a different planet!! Kuwaitis by law are 100% medically covered, its a birth right, and Kuwaiti’s “by law” have the right to be fully sponsored for international medication if the local treatment wasn’t sufficient..this includes full board (travel, pocket money + 1 family member to accompany the patient)

Really you sure about that? my father and mother are sick and I haven’t seen the ministry of care give a damn about their situation. You think cause you live here you know everything here u need a strong wasta to get that medical treatment and you need at least a month to get an MRI in government hospitals. At least expats can use private hospitals and pay only 10% and Kuwaitis don’t have medical insurance get screwed big time cause they work in the government sector. It seems you are the one living on a different planet not me.

well, if it takes long or Wasta doesn’t mean the law is int there, simply means a corrupt system. i don’t claim to know everything cause i live here, but i do know that little which is true. go to the ministry of health and ask for yourself..it costs the government millions of KD and raised many concerns at the parliament and was i believe covered in the media, if u read. last, i think Kuwaiti’s also have 10 kd to go to private hospitals like expats, right? now here is the question, the 1 million asian workers that get paid less than 40 kd a month, what do they do?

Wrong Kuwaitis with no medical insurance pay full price on any service in private hospitals not 10 kd as u said. Expats don’t pay a fils on medicine in governmental hospitals and I am sure 100% about that.

So as Kuwaiti’s make up 28 percent of the population will there be 72 percent more staff in the afternoon? I’m sure this has already been thought through! …… Oh wait we’er in Kuwait aren’t we!?!?

This isn’t law yet, right? If it becomes law then the WHO should issue the harshest possible condemnation against such a discriminatory two tier system of health care delivery.

I guess, part of the reason they want expat doctors for expat patients is because local doctors are totally out of their depth to tackle tropical infectious diseases. Add to that, the disdain and contempt many doctors in Kuwait reserve for expats from the lower income bracket so that they feel they are above tending to the sick or wounded from among the ranks of cleaners, janitors, maids and drivers. Shame on their Western board certifications if this is how they think!

It is basically to free up time for Kuwaiti doctors to attend to their lucrative private practices while their expat brethren continue to soldier on round the clock treating both nationals and expats.
It’s always good to remain optimistic though. There could well be a silver lining to all of this. Imagine, tomorrow they might think to have special timings for locals and expats to visit the malls which if you think long and hard about it would be a great thing. Ladies, no more harassment from local men who tend to go loopy-loo seeing young and the not so young in Western attire.

I am cocksure if the population demographic in Kuwait had not changed after the liberation to sway toward South East Asian dominance they would never have come up with such a crazy idea.

Ok here is a new thing
From 2015 the renewal of driving license will be for expat is only for doctors , engineers and workers of the govt sector only

Mark, it is not racist. Kuwaiti is not a race, its a nationality. And there many kuwaitis with different ethnic background.

So would appreciate you change that word in your article.

Well the obvious commonly sensed reason they did this is lessen the congestion and long ass lines in hospitals … If you ask me as a kuwaiti this a great decision …. Unless ur dying u can wait till thebafter no big deal.. Im sick of you damn foreigners (most of you) complaining and trash talking kuwait while you dont give a fish’s t*t about it.

ur right, common sense says alot of things, but common sense in this situation is racist and narrow and a tradeoff of finding a real solution to the problem which could be more civilized to all.

At a time when the chasm between nationals and foreigners needs narrowing not broadening this move will produce a diameterically opposite effect.
There will come a time when you end up having dedicated timings for first class versus second and third class citizens. Timings apart, it is only to be hoped there will be one quality of care across nationalities and not top notch doctors for first class citizens and mediocre medical staff for all the rest.
Just when I thought Kuwait was becoming socially progressive along came this regressive move to discriminate on the basis of locals versus expats. Hope to God there isn’t further stratification among expats in that Arab expats are time slotted together followed by Asian expats, and what have you. The MoH in Kuwait has amply demonstrated it is
bigoted and in a state of suspended animation period.

That’s all right, people came here because something about this country welcomed them. A lot of families and good old people will leave before 2023. No place that is unwelcoming is worth staying, not even for money, and I m sure many would want to have a life to respect and dignity for their kids

Really??? Wow!! Its a good thing I renewed my license last year and it expires in 2022. So I got a a good nine years of traffic jams and congestion to drive in left. Hopefully either the laws will change in that time or I will be retired in a place where people are respected for who and what they are and not based on what race or cultural background they come from.

@ gabry this comment made me smile

“medical insurance charge for one year in kuwait is 50 kd. For each hospital visit 2kd is the consultation charge. For an average labourer in kuwait who earns between 200 to 300 kd in a months salary visiting a private hospital is more comfortable namely because you are not discriminated and you are only paying 3 to 5 kd as consultation charge. If you buy 10 kd worth of medicine each visit you have to fall sick 5 times a year to reach the 50 kd medical insurance you paid”

How many average labourers do you know who get paid KD 200 to 300?? They would be lucky even with overtime to touch KD 100 to 150 max. From that how much do you think they send back to their families and how much do you think they keep back for basic living expenses to survive?

God forbid if they fall sick on the month they have renewed their residence coz then they end up getting far less coz the company they work for has deducted charges for stamping their residence as well as the 50 KD government health insurance.

And who told you that the consultation charges in pvt hospitals is 3 or 5 KD?? Sure it is if you have pvt health insurance which covers 80% or more of your bill. Pvt health insurance which by the way costs no less than 350 to 400 KD maybe even more per year depending on the package. Otherwise without pvt health insurance the price for a consultation range between 10,15,20 & 25 KD per visit. Less or even free if the repeat visit is within 3 to 7 days of your last visit depending on the medical center or hospital that you visit

You think a cleaning company paying 60 to 80 KD salary for a cleaner is going to pay 400 KD every year so that he is gonna get premium pvt health care??

Also not every expat in the country in the pvt sector has private health insurance paid for by the company. True there are companies who do provide it. But not that many. Many of the good, law abiding, decent ones just pay the Govt health tax as well as the residence stamping charges without cutting it out of the employees pay chq.
And in companies that do provide pvt health insurance not everyone gets it;It depends on your position on the bean pole of that company.
I know of companies where only managers and above are covered. That too the health insurance package starting from basic to premium depends on seniority. A junior manager may not have the same package as a department head or a director.

The remainder of employees get nothing except have their residence and govt health insurance charges paid for by the company and that’s it.

These employees either pay full price at pvt hospitals or end up using the public health sector.

An average bill for an expat without pvt health insurance including consultation and medication is no less than 35 to 50 KD depending on the ailment. If you add in lab tests you can easily expect a bill for no less than 60 KD. If you get admitted its as good as hotel charges depending on the type of room and everything else that adds on to the bill. Every time the doctors visits you ;you get charged, every syringe they use; you get charged, every pill you swallow ;you get charged. Nothing is free or on the house.

A case and example…

Very recently a friend of mine working a mid level job with a well known firm without pvt health insurance because of his position on the bean pole ended up paying KD 580 in total charges to admit and treat his 4 year old son with a case of pneumonia in a well known private hospital in Bneid Al Gar for 3 nights. Yes 3 nights. So you can imagine the prices.

Its not like you said KD 3 to 5 for a consult then add KD 10 for meds and it becomes 13 or 15 KD per visit.

There is a tendency among some locals to blame all the country’s ills on a burgeoning expat population which in actual fact, could not be further from the truth. Expats have always been around in Kuwait since the discovery of oil: it is no new phenomenon, per se. However, in the last two decades South East Asians have displaced Arab expats in the numbers game. The health services are stretched because the per capita utilisation of health services by the local minority is several fold higher as compared to the alien majority. The whole debate is sparked off because the ministry of social affairs and large segments of society in Kuwait are generally perturbed by, how do I put it,having large number of the wrong kinds of expats living in Kuwait today and that’s all there is to it.
If Kuwait becomes no more an attractive destination for laborers and blue collar workers from South East Asia think what it is going to do to the lucrative business of visa trading? Can’t let that happen now, can we?!

One way to tackle the medical issue is to promote healthy diet among people and to spread the general medicinal knowledge, and that not everything needs to be treated by medicine but it could be emotionally induced illness as well. Hopefully, people will over all learn to take better care of themselves, and will save money in the long run; what they pay is enough as it is.

For crying out loud here’s a country of 3 million residents posting annual trade surpluses of $23 billion or thereabouts, struggling to cope with its health care delivery system!
Instead of engineering such moronic stop gap measures the health budget needs to go back to the drawing board.
At this rate, can’t imagine what will it be like 50 years, hence.

I welcome the separation, ceteris paribus. Waiting times will be cut drastically, because about 75% of the patients (in the large public hospital that i visit from time to time) are citizens. 80% of that percentage are women. So if they went one further and segregated, it will be an even cooler breeze for men folk, expat men in particular.

This is another new level. When you go to the government hospitals, the special medicines for certain health problems are only given to Kuwaitis.When a expat shows the doctors prescription , they say its not available or they tell them to buy from outside. Isn’t that itself racist.

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