KUWAIT: The parliament's health affairs committee meets today to discuss reducing the scope of exemptions from increased fees on health service presented to expatriates, which will start in October 1, 2017. The panel's meeting agenda also includes discussing the latest regarding its ongoing investigations in Ministry of Health violations, parliamentary sources said.

Meanwhile, the parliament's human rights committee will meet today to resume discussing the issue concerning fake passports that some bedoons (stateless residents) reportedly obtained in order to legalize their status. The panel seeks to find a resolution to the problem that ensures protecting the bedoons' basic rights.

Notably, the committee has been urging the Interior Ministry to drop charges against the fake passport holders and return their previous legal statuses, said informed sources, noting that the ministry already has documents proving that the individuals in question belong to some neighboring countries.

Panic

MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaie urged the government not to panic after a number of MPs threatened to grill several ministers. Tabtabaie also referred to some reports claiming that there are intentions to change four or five ministers, but he denied knowing whether a reshuffle would be considered, especially since some ministers 'were not up to the responsibilities of their posts.' Furthermore, he noted that the performance of all ministers, including the premier himself, was below bar.

By A Saleh, Staff Writer