New developments at health ministry: contract termination of the firm conducting medical tests for laborers - transferring of 40 expatriates and Bedouin employees to other departments in a bid to combat manipulation, slackness, and interference in decisions, and corruption - MP Safaa Al- Hashim has officially submitted the proposal she announced last week suggesting that expatriates should not be given free medicines in the hospital.

New developments in the health file continue to emerge in various dimensions and the issue spotlighted is the resignation of the Director of Overseas Medical Treatment Department Dr. Abdul-Razzaq Al-Anjeri, and the conflict of interests of the opposing factions and parliamentary commission formed last Tuesday to investigate transgressions of the Health Ministry, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

In a related development, Minister of Health Dr. Jamal Al-Harbi announced that the ministry is about to end its contract with the health service company that conducts medical tests for laborers, adding the ministry will not renew the contract due to expire at the end of July.

The minister indicated he has a different plan for carrying out medical tests in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, and both parties are waiting for the mechanism of cooperation in that regard. He indicated the Health Ministry will be in charge of providing medical test services for the labor force, indicating the sector will collect fees or merge the charges with the health insurance fee.

Combating Corruption

Dr. Al-Harbi revealed a decision has been issued to transfer 40 employees from the Overseas Medical Department (OMD) to other departments after they discovered the employees in question were manipulating procedures and decisions.

“We have settled on transferring 40 expatriates and Bedouin employees to other departments because we do not want to cut their means of livelihood,” said Al-Harbi, affirming control and inspection on the Overseas Medical Department continues in a bid to combat manipulation, slackness and interference in decisions, and anyone proven to be involved in misconduct will be dismissed from the department immediately.

Concerning the cases Overseas Treatment Department continue to send, the minister said the cases are chronic diseases specified by the Cabinet, cancer, children and critical cases. With regard to the resignation of Dr Al-Anjeri, the minister indicated the former showed his desire to be dismissed on the basis of pressure and practices he refuses to accommodate, given that he among the doctors who do not entertain violation of law and all he wants is to redirect his department and support the priority cases that need overseas treatment.

Member of the parliamentary commission for Ministry of Health violations MP Osama Al-Shaheen stressed the importance of the commission’s members who have interest in the issue of resigning so as to render the work of the commission upright.

In an anticipatory move, MP Saadoun Hamad said the member targeted by MP Al-Shaheen is MP Adel Al-Damkhi in connection with violation of the patients’ medical aid fund, although he was quick to say that MP Al-Damkhi has no membership in the commission in the first place.

Stop Free Medicines for Expats Proposal Submitted:

Meanwhile, MP Safaa Al- Hashim has officially submitted the proposal she announced last week suggesting that expatriates should not be given free medicines in the hospital and that the KD 1 or KD 2 they pay either in the clinics or hospitals should be for diagnosis and initial check-up.

She explained the cost of medicines and laboratory expenses in 2006 reached KD 48,6,886,000 and in 2015, it reached KD 1 billion and 489 million. She reiterated the desire to reorganize the State, indicating the balance knob has been damaged at the ratio of 3:1.

News Source: Arab Times