KUWAIT: Dhaman Hospitals Company CEO Dr Mohammed Al-Qenae said two Dhaman centers have been completed in Hawally and Farwaniya and are ready to receive patients. Qenae also urged everyone to visit the centers and experience firsthand the quality services they provide, adding that the company is keen on offering its medical services at reasonable prices and that Dhaman will soon start receiving patients covered by various insurance companies.

Speaking in an interview with Kuwait local daily Al-Rai, Qenae stressed that meetings and coordination with the Ministry of Health (MoH) are in progress to finalize the health insurance system, move forward to the second phase of implementing it and start receiving expats insured by the KD 130 annual fee approved by the government to be paid by employers. "The new health insurance system will save a lot for beneficiaries, as they will only have to pay a KD 2.5 fee per visit including all consultancy, medical test and radiology fees, referral to hospitals, surgeries and any additional tests," Qenae explained.

Qenae stressed that 35 percent of the construction of Ahmadi and Jahra centers has been completed and is scheduled to be completed by 2021. In addition, he explained that recent Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) statistics show that Dhaman is expected to serve around two million people with an expected 3 percent annual increase. He added Jahra and Ahmadi hospitals will have a bed capacity of 600 beds and that the company will be ready to increase it if needed, especially in view of the recent medical advancements which mean that patients do not need to be hospitalized for long after surgeries.

Responding to a question about medical staff working with Dhaman, Qenae stressed that all doctors, nurses and other medical staff are recruited after passing special tests and interviews and having their degrees accredited by the ministry of higher education.

Speaking about the benefits Kuwaiti citizens will get from the new Dhaman system, Qenae said Dhaman is a strategic partner of MoH in providing public services to a segment of beneficiaries, which will ease the burden on MoH facilities and thus reflect on the level of healthcare services Kuwaitis get there in the form of cutting short waiting times. "The government has also offered 50 percent of the company's shares to citizens, which is another direct benefit for them to be added to the improved services they will get," Qenae concluded.