Check the Healthcare Provision in Kuwait.

Kuwait has been attracting a sizeable number of expats over the past two decades. Its sunny weather and business prospects are two of the attractions to relocate there.

However, and according to the Arabian Business, the Kuwaiti Government has reportedly approved some changes to the healthcare provision in the country recently, which affect the foreign population working there. Expats would be advised to check them, even if they are already working in the country.

For those who do not know it, the State of Kuwait is located in the Arabian peninsula, at the tip of the Persian Gulf. For centuries, it has attracted Bedouins fleeing the hot interior. Today, it is also an oasis, but of the cultural kind too. It is a modern country with good museums and good shopping opportunities and restaurants. The language spoken there is Arabic.

A striking fact is that most of the over 3 million population in Kuwait these days are expats who entered the country after 1990. They have replaced the many Kuwaitis who fled the poor economic situation in their home country. The expatriate population now accounts for about 80% of the labour force.

It may seem surpirising to talk about economic crisis in one of the 10 richest countries per capita in the world. But, with the price of the oil collapsing in the 1980s and the financially disastrous invasion of Iraq in 1990, the economy collapsed and many Kuwaitis fled their own country. These days, their economy has bounced back, no doubt helped by the fact that Kuwait is home to about 10% of the world's oil reserves and by having the biggest cargo fleet in the Arab world.

In terms of healthcare, the Government has reportedly approved a proposal to give Kuwaitis priority, which would reduce the level of care given to expats. Expats would only be able to access medical care in the afternoon. Foreign medical staff would also be working in the afternoon only.

Although there have been some voices raised against this measure, and no timeline was given for its implementation, it would be useful for expats looking to relocate or already working there to check with a specialist health insurance broker to get the full picture in terms of costs and the facilities expats would have access to in case they needed it.

Have you got any comments or want to share any experience of working in Kuwait?

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Picture credit: ELG Educational Services