Compulsory health insurance for visitors

Kuwaiti authorities may soon force transients in the kingdom to hold a health insurance policy valid for the duration of their stay. The bill was accepted by parliament following the request of one of its members.

It limits access to care for visitors to private hospitals only. The issue of health is controversial in the country where two-thirds of the population are expatriates who have time-restricted access to public hospitals.

No new hospital infrastructure has been built for decades in Kuwait despite repeated promises to build nine new health centers.