Minister of Health Jamal Al-Harbi issued a ministerial decree to announce the new health fees that will be paid by expatriates for using services at public hospitals and polyclinics.

The new fee structure will be in effect from October 1st.

According to the new decree, the fee for expats who pay annual health insurance will be as follows:

The fee for getting medical treatment at the polyclinic will increase from KD 1 to KD 2; the fee for getting medical treatment at a public hospital will increase from KD 2 to KD 5; the fee for outpatient clinics at public hospitals will increase from KD 2 to KD 10; a stay in public wards will cost KD 10 per day (free currently).

A stay in the intensive care unit will cost KD 30 per day (free currently); a stay in a private room at a public hospital will cost KD 50 per day, and the deposit for the private room will cost KD 200. The fees include receiving medical treatment at outpatient clinics, medication, regular x-rays and regular laboratory tests. The fees for a stay in hospital do not include surgeries, laboratory tests and x-rays.

Medical checkups at the public maternity hospital will cost KD 10 and delivery charges will be KD 50 (free currently). This includes the delivery, ultrasound, laboratory tests, medication and hospital stay for three nights. For each additional night, the patient will pay KD 10 for a stay in the public ward and KD 50 in a private room. (These services are currently free of charge, apart from the private room).

For open heart surgeries, diagnostic catheterization will cost KD 90, and each stent will cost KD 250. The cost of these surgeries does not include medication, x-rays, laboratory tests and hospital stay.

Fees for 74 nuclear medicine tests were also fixed, including bone, regular thyroid activity, cancerous thyroid activity, radioactive iodine, primary hyperparathyroidism, congenital lachrymal, esophagus and gall bladder, kidney, spleen, blood vessels, testicles, breast, bone marrow, suprarenal, neuroma, lymph node, prostate and other tests, which will cost between KD 40 and KD 500.

Fees for 32 radiology tests vary from KD 2-KD 120. The X-ray tests include CT scan, sonar, intervention pregnancy sonar, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and many others. The cost of 84 up and down artificial and electronic limbs for children and adult expatriate residents with disability card ranges from KD 3-KD 6,501, while those without cards will pay between KD 5-KD 9,752.

There are 47 types of medical shoes with accessories for children from ages 2-13, those imported for adults above 13 years of age. Residents with disability card will pay between KD 3-KD 75 for such shoes with related accessories, while those without the card will part with amounts ranging from KD 4-KD 112.500.

Different prices have been fixed for 48 types of medical belts and splints ranging from KD 750-KD 225 for residents holding disability card, while the fees extend to KD 300 for those without the card.

Visit Visa

Expatriates on Visiting Visa will be paying the following charges for getting medical treatment in Kuwait. Fees should be paid before availing healthcare services in the form of revenue stamps or through the concerned account clerks. Treatment at the polyclinic will cost KD 10 (not including medication, x-rays and laboratory tests); the fee for getting medical treatment at a public hospital will cost KD 20; the fee for outpatient clinics at public hospitals will cost KD 30; a stay in public wards will cost KD 70 per day; a stay in the intensive care unit will cost KD 220 per day; physiotherapy for patients staying at the hospital will cost KD 30 per session; a stay in a private room at a public hospital will cost KD 130 per day, and the deposit for the private room will cost KD 300 and KD 150 for the public ward.<

For visitors, a major surgery will cost KD 500, medium-risk surgery KD 300 and minor surgery KD 250. Surgery that needs specialized skills will cost KD 600. Kidney stone fragmentation will cost KD 150 per session. Outpatient one-day surgery will cost KD 100. Maternity checkup will cost KD 30, and a natural delivery will cost KD 400.