KUWAIT CITY, Sept 10: The Audit Bureau has raised concerns over a significant decline in health spending on development projects in Kuwait, reports Al-Seyassah daily . According to its examination of the Ministry of Health’s final account for the fiscal year 2023/2024, spending on seven key projects within the annual development plan has dropped by 65.5 percent.

This decline in expenditure, paired with delays in submitting the final account, highlights broader financial management issues within the ministry. The report revealed that the ministry collected approximately 191.8 million dinars in revenue, falling short of the estimated budget of 264.239 million dinars by 27.4 percent. Compared to the previous fiscal year, this represents a decrease of around 72.5 million dinars, which further exacerbates the ministry’s financial struggles.

The Audit Bureau criticized the Ministry of Health for its lack of accuracy in estimating expected revenues, resulting in a significant deviation from the projections outlined in the Ministry of Finance’s 2022 circular. The bureau also pointed to inefficiencies in controlling spending, with some funds being unjustifiably allocated. In response to these findings, the Audit Bureau emphasized the need for more serious efforts to accelerate the implementation of health projects under the development plan, warning that continued financial mismanagement could further impact Kuwait’s health sector

The report revealed significant issues in financial management and project execution. It pointed out weaknesses in the ministry’s procedures for controlling spending, which led to the unlawful disbursement of funds in previous years. These sums, totaling around 5.765 million dinars, were recovered in 2023/2024, artificially boosting revenues for the current year while increasing expenses from previous years. The report also criticized the ministry for not exercising due diligence in preparing its financial forms and failing to provide the required data. Regarding expenditures, the report highlighted the ministry’s inability to spend allocated amounts, leading to unrecorded expenditures of 555.375 million dinars. This reflects challenges in processing dues before the fiscal year’s end and inaccuracies in budget estimates.