The Kuwaiti government has recently made the decision to ban all expats from using public health services in Kuwait. Kuwait expats are now obligated by law to take out personal health insurance, though it has yet to be ratified whether they will be able to choose their own insurer or whether they will have take out insurance with a provider solicited by the government.
In 2014 the government revealed plans to build three new hospitals exclusively for expats which will have a total of 1400 beds. There are currently around 3 million expats residing in Kuwait, of which two million work in the private sector and one million in the public. The new hospitals will be specifically for the use of private sector employees while public sector workers will be treated in private clinics.
The new scheme is expected to be fully implemented in two years time. The Kuwaiti government hopes the restriction will ease the pressure on national health services which are currently free for all citizens, and significantly subsidized for expats up to this point. Health insurance costs for private sector expats are now expected to triple to potentially more than $100 per month. In the public sector, however, it is not yet clear what the ramifications of their health insurance coverage will be; whether the individual or the employer will be obligated to pay for it.
Source: Saleh AIRashaid