Private hospitals and clinics in Kuwait have been attracting experienced public sector doctors who are discontent with existing bureaucracy working conditions and low pay in government hospitals.
The mass migration of doctors to the private sector is an alarming phenomenon that the Ministry of Health (MoH) is desperate to stop. Experts believe that the large number of doctors shifting to private hospitals adds to the existing pressure on medical staff at public health facilities and poses a risk to the efficacy of the health system in its entirety.
Doctors complain that among the administrative, technical and financial causes that prompted many of them to join private health facilities are the lack of a legal system to protect Kuwaiti physicians against claims of medical errors in case of adverse effects on patients; the retirees’ health insurance program dubbed ‘Afiya’; and, the relatively low salaries prevailing at public hospitals.
The government launched the Afiya health insurance for Kuwaiti retirees in September 2016 at a cost of KD82 billion. The MoH has since provided 117,000 eligible retirees with their ‘Afiya’ card that entitle them to seek medical attention at over 45 medical facilities, including 3 hospitals 3 clinics and 39 dental clinics. The retirees can also seek services at 41 laboratories, 41 x-ray clinics, 42 private clinics and 43 pharmacies.
Launching her scheme in 2016, then Health Minister Dr. Ali Al-Obaidi had said the card will provide for a slew of health services to the tune of KD17,000 per person per year. He added that retirees are free to choose from a list of health care providers at their disposal, and that the plan was meticulous in detail and complied with international health standards. But doctors in public hospitals are clearly not impressed by the ‘Afiya’ scheme.
Doctors point out that some privately-run health institutions have manipulated beneficiaries from this program and offer drugs and medications that already exist in government-run hospitals, and that public hospitals offer better services than can be found in many private hospitals.
On his part, Dr. Ra’ed Behbahani, eye surgery consultant at Al-Bahar Ophthalmology Center, speaking about the attractiveness of private sector health facilities, said these facilities provide a competitive environment where doctors feel more independent and free from the bureaucratic, administrative and technical constraints besides the financial returns.
He also urged for early finalization of the draft law on regulation of the medical profession, highlighting the need to protect physicians against coerced litigation resulting from confusion of medical errors with implications of certain drugs. In addition, he urged the civil service commission to modernize its laws related to remuneration in a way that would avoid the late payment of doctors salaries and take into consideration their efficiencies.
Appreciating the efforts made by the Ministry of Health, Dr. Behbehani said that the MoH was striving to provide quality service for patients and ensure that public and private health facilities complement each other.
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