Minister of Health Dr Jamal Al-Harbi said that the cost incurred by Ministry of Health for providing health services for expatriates is too much. Expatriate visitors receive medicines and even surgeries at very low cost in comparison to the costs in their own countries. Expatriate residents receive medical attention for as low as KD 1 or KD 2. He went on to say, “We have prepared a study to increase the charges of medical services based on each case. The charges for medical services in hospitals will range from KD 5 – KD 10. For some humanitarian cases, the charges will be KD 1 – KD 5”.

Minister Al-Harbi revealed that about 60 percent of the patients who seek medical services in hospitals do not really need to visit the hospitals and can receive treatment at clinics itself, insisting that this increases the load on doctors and medical facilities in hospitals, which handle almost 1,000 cases per day.