KUWAIT: With the countdown towards closing public polyclinics and hospitals in the faces of expats and allocating them only for citizens, a lot of controversy is already going on in Kuwait about whether building three hospitals will be enough to provide medical services to over two million expats living in Kuwait! Current Ministry of Health (MoH) statistics show that Kuwait has five public hospitals, nine specialized ones, 94 polyclinics and 73 diabetes clinics with a total bed capacity of 6,714 beds, excluding the beds available in KOC and defense ministry hospitals, in addition to 1,041 beds in private hospitals.

According to the project studies, the current health insurance for expats will be cancelled and substituted with another insurance with the Health Insurance Hospitals' Company that would annually cost KD 130-190 per person. The project targets building three hospitals with a total cost of KD 1 billion. According to the study, the company will also build 15 primary care clinics and three secondary care hospitals in three areas; a 240-bed hospital and three primary care centers to cover Jahra and parts of the Capital, a 712-bed hospital and nine primary care centers in Farwaniya to serve Farwaniya, Hawally and the remaining areas of the Capital, and a third 340-bed hospital and three primary care centers in Ahamdi and Mubarak Al-Kabeer.

The project also excludes expat wives of Kuwaitis, Kuwaiti women's children, domestic labor and expats working for the government. Well, the question remains as follows: Will 712 beds be enough to serve over 1.6 million expats living in Farwaniya and Hawally? - Al-Rai