KUWAIT: The Ministry's Undersecretaries Council discussed a proposition to grant specialist expatriate doctors with privileges in order to encourage them to work better. The Undersecretary at the Ministry of Health Dr. Ibrahim Al-Abdul Hadi made the relevant announcements, reported Annahar. Abdul Hadi added that the Civil Services Commission's (CSC) approval is pending on the issue.

Meanwhile, a national-level mechanism to assess the quality of health care according to set standards will greatly improve the quality of medical services rendered in the country, said Secretary of the Supreme Committee for National Assesment of Healthcare, Dr. Buthayna Al-Madhaf. She said that during the upcoming period more emphasis will be laid on placing effective methods.

Al-Madhaf was speaking during the committee's recently concluded first meeting. Waleed Al-Falah, the Ministry of Health's Deputy Assistant for Planning and Quality was also present during the event. A surge in interest in the field of health care can be attributed to its importance. She went on to explain that the committee's work will be based on assessing the standard of hospitals after making field visits. A certificate of recognition with a one year validity will be issued.

Furthermore, she asserted on the agreement signed between the Ministry of Health and a Canadian firm two years ago, with the aim of improving the standard of health care facilities. She further indicated that the Minister Dr Hilal Al-Sayer, and his assistant Dr Ibraheem Al-Abdulhadi are working toward ensuring that the agreement is being followed.

In another development, decisions pertinent to appointing the heads of medical departments at hospitals are considered to be among the most important that the Health Ministry makes. This is because they(decisions) make a direct impact on medical service rendered to people. Therefore, the qualifications of a department's head should be reviewed from a purely professional viewpoint, and not an administrative one.

In recent years, several mechanisms have been put in place to elect heads of departments. While some have received praise, others have drawn flak , especially those related to allegations of favoritism. In the meantime, the Ministry is trying to devise new election mechanism by conducting a comprehensive study on several negative aspects.

The Health Minister, Helal Al-Sayer and his assistant Ibraheem Al-Abdulhadi have been urged to avoid pitfalls and elect candidates in accordance with their qualifications, reported Al-Qabas. Although, many officials have preformed great service to the country and deserve to retain their positions, the minister and his deputy have been asked to make bold decisions to eliminate the presence of incompetent employees. - Kuwait Times