KUWAIT CITY, Dec 4: Plans are under way to set up an independent national health authority in Kuwait which will steer efforts to transform healthcare in the country, according to the Assistant Undersecretary for Planning and Quality in the Ministry of Health. Waleed Kh. Al-Falah told the global publishing, research and consultancy firm Oxford Business Group (OBG) that the Kuwait Health Authority will play a key role in overseeing major reforms earmarked for healthcare while also taking over some administrative functions from the Ministry. “We aim to develop a comprehensive health system in line with global trends,” he said. “Attention to health promotion and focusing on improving primary health care as a first point of entrance to the system is the most in-demand effective priority in the country.”
The move forms part of Kuwait’s broader plan to upgrade the quality of healthcare under the National Development Plan. It is also expected to bolster the country’s efforts to encourage public, private partnerships for health services expansion which include modernising existing facilities and building new hospitals and health centres. The interview forms part of the research for The Report: Kuwait 2012, OBG’s forthcoming guide on the State’s economic activity and investment opportunities. The Group’s latest report will include a detailed, sector-by-sector guide for foreign investors, together with a wide range of interviews with the most prominent political, economic and business leaders.
Al-Falah highlighted the Ministry’s success in increasing the number of Kuwaiti doctors working in the country, adding that plans were under way to drive forward a similar initiative in the nursing profession. “At present, there is a concentrated effort to increase the percentage of the national nursing workforce,” he said. “Incentives and opportunities are being introduced offering higher training and post graduate degrees in Western countries which are well known for their excellent training in the field of nursing.” He acknowledged that Kuwait could prove to be fertile territory for health tourism which was expanding rapidly on a global level, but said legal reforms would be needed before the country could begin exploring its potential. “Kuwait has great potential for attracting patients from neighbouring countries,” he said. “At present, however, the public sector cannot sell its services to individuals or private corporations. A review of current legislations would be needed to allow this.”
The Report: Kuwait 2012 will mark the culmination of more than nine months of on-the-ground research by a team of analysts from OBG. It will provide information on opportunities for foreign direct investment into the country’s economy and will act as a guide to the many facets of the country including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, banking and sectoral developments. The Report: Kuwait 2012 will be available in print form or online. Oxford Business Group (OBG) is a global publishing, research and consultancy firm, which publishes economic intelligence on the markets of the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America Through its range of print and online products, OBG offers comprehensive and accurate analysis of macroeconomic and sectoral developments, including banking, capital markets, insurance, energy, transport, industry and telecoms.
The Report: Kuwait 2012 is produced in partnership with the Kuwait Foreign Investment Bureau, KAMCO, ASAR and Moore Stephens. The critically acclaimed economic and business reports have become the leading source of business intelligence on developing countries in the regions they cover. OBG’s online economic briefings provide up-to-date in-depth analysis on the issues that matter for tens of thousands of subscribers worldwide. OBG’s consultancy arm offers tailor-made market intelligence and advice to firms currently operating in these markets and those looking to enter them.
Source: Arab Times
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