Kuwait further hikes healthcare fees for expats

Expatriates will now have to pay a feee of KD10 ($33) when getting medical treatment at a polyclinic, Kuwait’s health ministry said on Wednesday.

The measure seeks to ease congestion at public hospitals, while allowing government-run clinics to take in more patients, the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) quoted the ministry as saying.

The move comes after the country increased healthcare fees for foreigners for the first time in more than two decades in 2017.

At the time, the ministry said that expatriates who have annual health insurance will need to pay KD2 ($6.63) at a polyclinic, KD5 at a hospital, KD10 at outpatient clinics and KD10 per day at public wards.

A stay in intensive care was also changed from being free to costing KD30 ($100) per day and a stay in a private room in a hospital was set at KD50 ($165.70) per day not including surgeries, tests and x-rays.

Maternity costs as well as the prices for surgeries were also increased.

Read more: Kuwait to introduce higher healthcare fees for foreigners

Also read:Kuwait’s hospitals see 30% fewer foreign patients after fee increase

Later that year, Kuwait also more than doubled the annual health insurance fees for expats.

Reports said the fee was increased from KD50 ($165) to KD130 ($430) to cover primary and secondary healthcare.

Read: Kuwait to more than double annual health insurance fee for foreigners

Foreign residents currently make up around 70 per cent of Kuwait’s 4.6 million population.