The Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi, has issued a decision to impose new fees on some health services offered by government hospitals and clinics for expatriates registered in the health insurance system and receive services from the Blood Transfusion Services Department which boasts of 37 laboratories.
The Al-Anba daily said the fees range between half a dinar and 15 dinars for residents and for visitors it starts from 5 dinars and goes up to 70 dinars.
The decision also set the fees for blood bag exchange services at 20 dinars per bag for the resident and 40 dinars for the visitor. The decision exempts the patient from blood bag fees if there is a donor for each blood bag or its derivatives.
The sources said the decision states some groups of people who are being treated as Kuwaitis are exempted from these fees.
The following is the text of the decision:
Article 1: Non-Kuwaiti patients residing and registered in the health insurance system shall pay:
A – Fees for laboratory tests that are carried out in the 37 laboratories of the Blood Transfusion Services Department. The tests include for blood Group A-B-O test and the last of which is the platelet factor 4 test, according to the attached Table No. 1.
B – Service fees for dispensing blood bags and its derivatives, at the rate of 20 dinars for each bag.
Article Two: Non-Kuwaiti visiting patients who are not registered in the health insurance system receive:
A – Fees for laboratory tests that are carried out in the laboratories of the Blood Transfusion Services Department. There are 37 laboratory tests, the first of which is the Group A-B-O test, and the last of which is the Platelet factor 4 test, according to the attached Table No. 2.
B – Service fees for dispensing bags of blood and its derivatives, at the rate of 40 dinars for each bag.
Article Three: The patient is exempted from the fees specified in Articles 1 (b) and 2 (b) in the event that there is a donor for each blood bag or its derivatives.
Fourth Article: The fees mentioned in Articles 1 and 2 shall be included in the automated systems (if any) in all facilities providing these services and in coordination between the Information Systems Department and the relevant authorities.
Fifth Article: Ministerial decisions regarding exemption of certain categories from fees and cases that are treated as Kuwaitis, according to the ministerial decisions regulating this, will continue to be enforced.
Article Six: This decision shall be notified to those who are required to implement it, and it shall be enforced as of its date, and it shall be published in the Official Gazette.
Another decision was issued, which stipulates:
First Article: The fees for laboratory analyzes in the Blood Transfusion Services Department laboratories for private medical sector are approved; first of which is the Group A-B-O examination, and the last is the Platelet factor 4 examination, according to the attached Table No. 1.
Article Two: The fees for dispensing blood bags and its derivatives to the private medical sector are approved at 20 dinars for each blood bag and its derivatives.
Article Three: The health facility in the private medical sector is obligated to exempt the patient from the fees for dispensing blood bags and its derivatives if there is a donor for each blood bag or its derivatives.
Article Four: The private medical sector is responsible for providing blood transfusion service to and from the laboratories of the Blood Transfusion Services Department, provided that the means of transport are in accordance with the standards and controls issued by the Ministry of Health.
Fifth Article: This decision shall be notified to those who are required to implement it, and it shall be enforced as of its date, and it shall be published in the Official Gazette.
The Ministry of Health issued a statement clarifying the contents of the decision regarding the fees for blood bag exchange services.
The Ministry of Health said, in the statement, that the fees do not include Kuwaiti patients, emergency or critical cases, cancer cases, children of non-Kuwaiti patients, or other humanitarian cases, and are limited to specific categories such as patients of non-emergency and pre-scheduled operations for non-citizens. This is within the framework of preserving the national strategic stock of blood and its derivatives.
The Ministry affirmed what was stated in the decision to exempt the patient from all fees, if there is a donor for each blood bag or its derivatives, wishing everyone good health and safety.