ShareKUWAIT: Kuwait Nursing Association (KNA) strongly slammed the Ministry of Health (MoH) for recruiting 200 expatriate nurses from a local medical company, describing it as 'a scandal' and noting that MoH had never been in a more chaotic situation. KNA added that MoH had also violated its own decision issued on July 5, 2017 on stopping the recruitment of non-Kuwaiti nurses from the local market except for those who got their nursing degree from Kuwait. "The ministry then locally recruited 200 expat nurses who do not hold Kuwaiti nursing degrees," KNA explained, expressing suspicions of profiteering. KNA urged minister Jamal Al-Harbi and his undersecretary to explain the matter, as they were the ones who signed the contract. The association added it will take all relevant documents to monitoring bodies.
Insurance fees
A report by the State Audit Bureau said that MoH had still not collected its share of health insurance fees from insurance companies that are demanding a payment of KD 22,259,964. The report added that MoH had failed in forming special committees to scrutinize the amount and claim it from insurance companies for over nine years. The report said MoH had contacted the finance ministry over two years ago to provide the sums the company claims it deserves.
Another State Audit Bureau report about the fiscal 2016-2017 year budget said total revenues were around KD 97.8 million, which is 128.5 percent more that estimated and 38.7 percent more than those in the fiscal year 2015-2016. The report also recommended that various bodies should take more measures to increase their revenues through re-pricing the services they provide according to these services' real cost and finding new sources to increase revenues.
Moreover, the report explained that the revenues of the Kuwait Central Bank, Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and the Ports Authority increased in 2016-2017, and that their expenses had dropped in the same period.
Postal services
A European and a Chinese company filed requests to invest in Kuwait postal services, which made the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (KAPP) coordinate with the Ministry of Utilities and Kuwait Investment Authority to set a strategy to offer the post sector to the KAPP. Informed sources noted that foreign companies applying for the project have allocated over KD 500 million to be invested in mail services jointly with other local and regional companies.
Farm workers
The Public Authority for Manpower issued an administrative decision regulating agricultural, fish and animal sector requirements. The decision also defined the conditions needed to determine the number of farm workers needed for the winter, noting that the number would be determined according to the total farmed area, ie five farmers, a driver and a laborer for plots less than 25,000 sq m; six farmers, two drivers and two laborers for plots ranging from 25,000-50,000 sq m; eight farmers, two drivers and two laborers for plots ranging from 50,000-100,000 sq m; 11 farmers, two drivers and two laborers for plots sized 100-200,000 sq m and 14 farmers, four laborers and three drivers for plots larger than 200,000 sq m.
Separately, the manpower authority announced its readiness to issue work permits for small projects, said informed sources, noting that the authority is currently waiting for an agreement with the Manpower and Government Restructuring Program (MGRP) and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) to set the measures needed to grant small project entrepreneurs national labor support allowances.
By A Saleh
