Kuwait ‘expat hospitals’ slammed

in 

Kuwait

Plans to build special expat only hospitals in Kuwait have been universally slammed by expats and citizens alike.

The possibility of expat hospitals being built was touted earlier this year by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Minister of Health Dr Hilal Al-Sayer. The reason for this initiative is to tackle overcrowding, however most feel that expat only hospitals is a somewhat ludicrous suggestion.

Arab newspaper the Kuwait Times has published a number of quotes from various members of Kuwait society slamming the idea, including “Are they building a new hospital because the diagnosis of lung cancer is done differently for expats and locals?” “Why don't they build separate hospitals for Bangladeshis, Filipinos, Americans and Europeans? I think that will be more organized and pragmatic.”

The plan has also been heavily criticised by The Kuwait Doctors Association, who actually issued a statement which said: “The current formation of the draft law doesn't go in line with the international human rights agreements that Kuwait has signed, and can hurt Kuwait's reputation if it is built without medical, financial or humanitarian justification.”