In this endeavour to express our sense of gratitude to the State of Kuwait and the people of Kuwait, IIK, through its Shukran, Kuwait, spoke not only with Indians living in Kuwait, but also with several Kuwaitis, who have connections with India. Former Minister of Health Dr. Hilal Al Sayer has a strong connection with India, and can even speak Hindi fluently. His experiences with India and Indians, which have shaped his outlook towards the Indian community, come to the fore during this exclusive tete-a-tete with IndiansinKuwait.com (IIK).

Dr. Hilal Al Sayer met the Team from IIK at the Bayt Abdulla Children’s Hospice (BACH), which is his and his wife Margaret’s brainchild and a one-of-its-kind Hospice which provides paediatric palliative care for children in Kuwait with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and support for their families and friends for as long as it is needed. It is indeed a very noble service to the society by the couple and the entire team of supporters and well wishers.

Here are some excerpts from the Interview:

IIK: Thank you so very much Dr. Hilal for sparing time for us. We, the Indian community, through the most coveted web-portal of and for Indians – IIK, proposes to express its gratitude to Kuwait, on the occasion of the National Day on February 25. You have had links with India, dating from your childhood.What were some of your initial experiences in India with Indians?

Dr. Hilal: My parents moved to India when I was very young. I was admitted in a Boarding School—St. Peters, in Panchgani, Maharashtra, and did my elementary schooling therein. Later, we shifted to Mumbai, where I studied in St. Mary’s School in Mazgaon, Mumbai. India was a nice place to live in, and from a young age onwards, I made a lot of friends in India. We had a lot of fun and good times in both, Panchgani and in Mumbai. There used to be a large Kuwaiti community in Mumbai then and we used to have Arabic coaching too in the weekends, while we studied Hindi and other subjects during the weekdays. All of us, who studied together, are still in touch with each other.

IIK: Did your perceptions and opinions about Indians changed when you assumed public office in Kuwait?

Dr. Hilal: No, my positive perceptions about Indians did not change at any time. Indians constitute the largest expatriate community living in Kuwait. They are there at all levels and in all sectors; there are the labourers and then there are the Doctors, Engineers, Financial Analysts and Academicians. The ties between Indians and Kuwaitis have always been close-knit.

IIK: What do you think about the contribution made by Indians living in Kuwait? Over the years, what have been your major observations?

Dr. Hilal: The trade ties between India and Kuwait date back to several decades. There was open trade and an open relationship between the two countries. Even the currency of Kuwait was the Rupee. Even the culture, lives, behaviour, food etc are a lot similar between both the nations. The Indian community has always been very friendly; very dedicated and thoroughly professional.

IIK: You have been in the Medical profession for such a long time. You were also the Minister for Health in the government. Tell us something about the Indians working here in the medical profession…

Dr. Hilal: There are so many doctors who have been working here for several decades now, and consider Kuwait as their own home. They indeed deserve to be given a lot of credit for their services. Even as far as nurses are concerned, the large majority of nurses who work here are all Indians, especially from Kerala. They are well-educated also and highly dedicated to their work.

IIK: What reforms did you usher during your tenure as the Minister for Health?

Dr. Hilal: Well it would take us hours to discuss all of that. But, broadly speaking, we addressed several issues such as lack of sufficient beds in our hospitals, shortage of primary clinics which can refer patients to general hospitals, and many other such issues. We also worked towards the creation of a Health Authority so that the Ministry for Health could give exclusive attention to clinical services. We also raised the salaries of nurses, which had been stagnant for some time. We outlined several plans whereby our capacity would be enhanced by about 40% over the next five years.

We made plans to send physicians from Kuwait for training and obtaining fellowship certificates in various fields of specialization at well-known hospitals in the US and Canada. We undertook a couple of studies so as to improve the conditions in and performance of public hospitals in the country.

IIK: Tell us something about this Hospice which is so very unique and one-of-its-kind and a blessing for the terminally ill children…

Dr. Hilal: It was in 1989 that this idea was first mooted by my wife and her dream has finally come true. I was merely a facilitator in the whole process. We had a very moving experience with a child which inspired this idea and initiative. There was this young boy Abdullah who was terminally ill and was getting treated in London, from where he was finally asked to go back home as there was nothing more to be done clinically. He was brought to Kuwait. His mother had promised him that she would never put him in a hospital again. She approached us and we constituted a dream team, comprising child specialists, nutritionists, nurses and many other medical experts and we would go to his house to take care of him. This went on for about 5-6 months. One day, Abdullah came over to my house to play with my children and asked me if my elder son Khalid could go with him to his house that night for reading a bed-time story to him. That day, he hugged everyone, and at night he passed away.

We treated the mother later as she was in deep distress. We supported the entire family. And then this became our endeavour so that we could provide holistic treatment to an entire family when a child of such a family is terminally ill. After the invasion, in 1994, a final year student of Architecture Aliyah Al Ghunaim worked with my wife and this hospice was designed. With a lot of donations coming our way, we could build this largest in-patient hospice in the world.

We do not charge here for anything and it is open to every nationality, race and colour. We provide four kinds of services: Home Care Team (which reaches out to the family members such as the mother, the siblings etc), Day Care Team (which takes care of the treatment when the child can be left here in the day and he can play here too), In-patient service (there are rooms with single beds when the child has convulsions or fever and cannot be handled at home), and Respite (wherein rest is made available to the entire family. There are chalets with three bedrooms).

We have a mini-Disney Land here, and a gym and a library and an auditorium and even a school. The child must not miss anything. We got an award in 2012 for the Best Interior Design in the entire world.

IIK: What do you foresee in terms of the role played by Indians in the developmental plans of Kuwait?

Dr. Hilal: Indians are our brothers, sisters, and colleagues. We appreciate their services, and in future, shall appreciate too. Even your Ambassador now HE Satish Mehta is a good representative your community has. The collaboration between the two countries shall grow, particularly in Trade, Academics, Services, etc. Both the nations share a long history and it will not be forgotten. We are just like a family and the Indians are very close to my heart. I thank them for the services they have rendered to Kuwait.