Kuwait: National Assembly member MP Safa Al Hashem welcomed a decision by the health ministry to increase by 100 per cent charges expatriate women have to pay at maternity hospitals.
She claimed that the new fees will regulate the service. Hashem, who has been pressing the government to increase charges on expatriates, said the decision will greatly benefit operations at maternity hospitals run by the health ministry.
She praised the health minister for accepting some of her proposals that call for imposing a raft of charges on expatriates, whom she blames for disruption of main services in the country.
The health ministry increased maternity charges for expatriate women from KD50 to KD100 for natural delivery and KD150 for caesarean delivery (C-section), saying the decision came after a thorough study.
The ministry said that unlike before, expat women will also have to pay for their stay at hospitals, which is KD10 daily in wards, raising at the same time charges for private rooms at maternity hospitals from KD50 to KD100 per day.