KUWAIT HEALTH CARE--HOSPITALS,NATIONAL HEALTH,

Nation health

A network of local clinics and clinics provides initial medical care in Kuwait. Foreign residents can also use their services. When visiting a local clinic, you must have a medical

card. It is issued at the clinic itself upon the presentation of a civilian ID. The patient must live in the area covered by this clinic. Local clinics are usually located in community centres, often close to local cooperative supermarkets. The clinic conducts pre-screening and routine activities. If necessary, patients are referred to specialists in a larger hospital. Although doctors don’t take home calls, there are outpatient clinics in major hospitals,

Kuwait State Hospitals

  Kuwait State Hospitals is divided into five health zones. Each zone has a main hospital - the

             Emir Hospital in Kuwait City, the Jahra Hospital in Jahra, the Farwaniya Hospital in

Farwaniya, the Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital in Jabria and the 

Adan Hospital in Fahahil. Each main hospital provides 

outpatient care and 24-hour emergency services.

Private health care

Kuwait has a large number of private clinics and hospitals. The state regulates and oversees its standards and fees. At some of these private hospitals, doctors receive a percentage of

patients' fees for laboratory tests and medical checks. Most private hospitals have their own pharmacies. Most private hospitals are general hospitals with specialized departments. A new concept in Kuwait is the emergence of licensed medical centers that offer a full range of outpatient diagnostic tools covering all major medical specialties. In mid-1994, there was only one such center - in the Kuwait clinic.

 Obstetric Services

Many major public hospitals have maternity wards. Al-Sabah State Maternity Hospital, located near Gamal Abdul Nasser Street in western Shuweikh, is perhaps one of the best

maternity hospitals in the world, providing a range of services for prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum care. Al-Sabah Hospital is fully equipped with implemented technologies, including more than 100 ICUs and well-trained and dedicated staff. Most obstetric services are free. However, for some procedures, for example, ultrasound, immigrants must pay. Payment is not taken in urgent and special cases. Payment is also taken for private rooms. Visiting hours at Al-Sabah Hospital are prohibited. There are also a number of private maternity hospitals. All maternity hospitals, public or private, require both marriage certificates to keep records.

 Optics

Vision testing is usually free, and the prices for prescription lenses are pretty

reasonable. Conventional corrective lenses are obtained from 

stock and new glasses can be delivered within 48 

hours. Persons with complex recipes have to wait for several 

weeks, as it may be necessary to import lenses from 

abroad. Contact lenses may require more care due to dust storms that can cause eye irritation

 pharmacy

Kuwaitis receive all medical care in government clinics and hospitals for free. Until 1994, emigrants also had the right to free medical care, but now some non-urgent procedures have become paid for them. All emergency and outpatient services for emigrants remain free. Emigrants do not pay for drugs provided by state hospital pharmacies with a prescription from hospital doctors. In every major area — Kuwait City, Hawalli and Nugra, Salmia and Rumaithia, Fahahil and Ahmadi, Haitian and Farvania — at least one pharmacy is open around the clock. Such night watch is carried out in turn; that pharmacy, which will be open at night, as well as its telephone number, is indicated daily in newspapers and on KTV2 after 8-hour evening news. Blood banks are located in Jabria near the flyover of the 4th ring road at the end of Tunis Street. Equipped with the latest technology, the bank delivers blood to public and private hospitals in Kuwait. Donors are always welcome here. Relatives of patients undergoing surgery are required to make a cash donation to maintain supplies.