KUWAIT: The Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital; a major health-related project of Kuwait’s development plan for 2035.

KUWAIT: The cabinet is expected to make a decision soon on the mechanism to operate and manage the Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital, as a governmental team has estimated its operation costs at KD 10 billion for 50 years.

A team that included members from Kuwait Investment Authority, economic development committee of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, and Fatwa and Legislation Department has recently completed its report to estimate the total cost to operate the hospital. According to sources familiar with the report, the total cost to operate the hospital is $10 billion in 50 years which is the projected life span of the project, without calculation of inflation percentages. These estimations for operational costs do not mean that the government intends to charge Kuwaiti patients for treatment, the sources added. The sources said cash salaries item is estimated at nearly KD 121.3 million, and will rise to KD 130.4 million by adding the government share in insurance and material advantages.

The report compares between the operational costs of the Amiri and Jaber hospitals. It states that the projected cash salaries for Jaber Hospital is KD 121.3 million, compared to KD 40.5 million for the Amiri Hospital. Material advantages for the Jaber Hospital are projected at KD 2.4 million, compared to KD 811,266 for Amiri Hospital. According to the report, medical supplies for the Jaber Hospital are projected at KD 49.5 million, compared to KD 16.5 million for Jaber Hospital. Patients’ food costs are projected at KD 1.64 million for Jaber Hospital, compared to KD 547,624 for the Amiri Hospital, while clothes and patients’ covers are projected at KD 111,918 for Jaber Hospital (KD 37,306 for Amiri Hospital). The Jaber Hospital is expected to open sometime this year, though an official opening date is yet to be announced. — Al-Anbaa