Health Minister Dr Ali Al-Obaidi

KUWAIT: Health Minister Dr Ali Al-Obaidi has called on Kuwait Municipality to reduce land area restrictions for private hospitals in order to allow smaller private hospitals to be built. Obaidi added that according to earlier regulations, a general private hospital's area was required to be at least 5,000 square meters and a specialized hospital had to be on land of at least 3,000 square meters.

The minister requested however that given Kuwait's small size and limited availability of land to allow private hospitals reduced area requirements of 3,000 square meters (for general hospitals) and 1,300 square meters (for specialty hospitals) respectively.

"Lands available for building medical projects like private hospitals are limited in view of Kuwait's area," the minister said, noting that medical facilities' efficiency was measured by hospital performance and competence rather than its size and that such requirements were unreasonable. Further, Obaidi noted that the health insurance law that had been passed by the parliament required the presence of medical facilities providing profound health care services and that Kuwait needed such hospitals. - Al-Qabas