Health Minister Jamal Al-Harbi

KUWAIT: Health Minister Dr Jamal Al-Harbi issued a decision to increase the fees for dental services for expats, as part of the health fee increases which came into effect this month. Harbi approved the mechanism to collect fees for dental services and surgeries - KD 2 for each visit, in addition to charges for each medical procedure the patient needs on every visit.

The decision includes x-ray fees whenever the patient needs it, to be collected once only if it is for the same tooth on the same visit. Expats will be received at specialized dental clinics by referral from primary care clinics after the initial treatment is completed (filling, extraction or cleaning). The new mechanism stipulates that for procedures needing more than one session to be completed, the patient pays only once.

Temporary fillings following procedures such as a root canal will be considered within the treatment and extra charges will not be collected. The decision exempts expat children with special needs, cancer patients and those with congenital defects in the mouth cavity up to 12 years of age from paying the new fees.

Mobile prosthodontics for upper and lower jaws will cost KD 30. Dentures for either jaw cost KD 15, partial dentures KD 10, in addition to fixing one mobile tooth for KD 5. As for surgeries, fees for extraction will be KD 2, but surgical extraction and removal of abscess will cost KD 5. Treatment of fractures of the mouth and jaws will cost KD 35.

Cleaning of gums will cost KD 5, but operations of all types for each tooth will cost KD 10. Root canal will cost KD 2 for partial removal, while preliminary treatment of the front tooth costs KD 5 and KD 10 for the back tooth, with the same fees for repeated treatment of the front tooth and KD 15 for repeated treatment of the back tooth.

Temporary fillings cost KD 2, and permanent ones KD 5. For children, the fee for cleaning and treatment by fluoride and preventive fillings for each temporary tooth is KD 2. A permanent filling will cost KD 5, and KD 10 for root canal of every temporary tooth with a metal crown. KD 5 will be charged for each root canal with a permanent filling. Extracting a milk tooth will cost KD 2, and KD 5 for each space protector for each side, and the treatment of a broken tooth. The fee for x-rays for each tooth is KD 2, KD 5 for a panoramic x-ray and KD 10 for a CT scan.