Kuwait’s healthcare costs surge

• Kuwaiti doctors constitute 40.8% of the overall healthcare workforce, with Kuwaiti practitioners making up a significant 75.1% of the dentistry field.

• Outpatient visits to government hospitals surged to 3,906,173 in 2022, raising the individual visit rate from 0.7% in 2018 to 0.8%.

• Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death for all residents and genders, with a mortality rate of 79.8 per 100,000.

A recent report by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health shows a significant rise in healthcare costs per individual, increasing from KD 398 in 2018 to KD 499 in 2022, as reported by Al-Jarida newspaper.

The report highlighted a notable trend in the nationalization of the healthcare sector, with Kuwaiti doctors making up 40.8% of the overall healthcare workforce.

In dentistry, Kuwaiti practitioners represent a substantial 75.1% of the total. However, the report also noted that the percentage of Kuwaiti nurses in the government healthcare sector remains relatively low at 4.9%.

Outpatient visits to government hospitals have significantly increased, reaching 3,906,173 in 2022. This marks a rise in the individual visit rate from 0.7% in 2018 to 0.8% in 2022.

Conversely, emergency surgeries performed in Ministry of Health hospitals decreased to 54.3% in 2022, down from 70.8% in 2018.

Cardiovascular diseases and cancer lead mortality rates in Kuwait

The report further indicated that cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and external causes of death remain the three primary causes of mortality in Kuwait. Notably, Kuwaiti nationals experienced a higher mortality rate in all these categories except for external causes.

Cardiovascular diseases emerged as the leading cause of death for both Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti residents, as well as for both genders, with a mortality rate of 79.8 per 100,000 population.

Cancer-related deaths followed at a rate of 23.5 per 100,000, and deaths due to external causes were recorded at 15.7 per 100,000. While external causes accounted for a higher number of deaths among non-Kuwaitis, drowning incidents were more prevalent among Kuwaitis.

The report concluded by noting a significant increase in the doctor-to-population ratio, rising from 2.5 doctors per 1,000 people in 2018 to 3.6 in 2022. Consequently, the population-to-doctor ratio decreased from 395 in 2018 to 277 in 2022.