KUWAIT CITY, March 24: Assistant Undersecretary for Health Care Affairs in the Ministry of Health Dr. Nadia Jumaa revealed the ministry’s intention to soon open specialized clinics in various primary health care centers within the government’s 100-day action plan. In a press statement on the sidelines of the annual Ramadan Ghabqa organized by the Kuwait Association of Family Doctors and General Practitioners recently, Dr. Jumaa affirmed the ministry’s readiness to launch the Fahaheel Health Center after adding some new specialties, including preventive health and oral and dental health. She highlighted the interest and keenness of the ministry to expand the specialized clinics in West Mubarak Al-Kabeer and Farwaniya areas to include healthy child and psychiatry clinics. Dr. Jumaa affirmed that the ministry announced the extension of working hours in some health centers, specifically in the Adan and Sadeeq health centers, explaining that the Adan health center will continue working until 12 am, and the Sadeeq health center will work until 9:00pm, during the duration of the government’s 100-day work plan.

Priorities
She stressed the ministry’s great interest in primary health care as one of the priorities of the government’s development programs. Dr. Jumaa said Kuwait is one of the leading countries in the health field due to the achievements it has realized through its remarkable renaissance to ensure a healthy life, enhance well-being for all, and create a qualitative shift in health care services. Meanwhile, the President of the Kuwait Association of Family Doctors and General Practitioners Dr. Mohammad Al-Azmi revealed the launch of the activities of the 2nd Family Medicine Conference in May with the participation of an elite group of family doctors and in the presence of a group of representatives of the Gulf Society of Family Medicine and various international institutions. He affirmed the association’s keenness to be close to everyone, as it is the unifying home for every family and general practitioner in Kuwait, revealing that the number of the association’s members has increased from 200 to 500 since the beginning of its inauguration until now. Dr. Al-Azmi announced the opening of membership in the association’s working committee.
He called for visiting the association’s official accounts on Instagram and other social networking sites to learn the details related to all the various committees, including the Scientific Committee, the Activities and Events Committee, the Public Relations and Communication Committee, the Studies Committee, and the Official Committee and Resource Development. Dr. Al-Azmi listed the association’s achievements during the past period, including seeking to sign a cooperation agreement with the health care sector. He highlighted the association’s success in launching the Kuwait Family Medicine Document and the Kuwait Medical Association’s participation in presenting the electronic medicine project and providing an up-to-date subscription, in addition to organizing many scientific activities and programs.

Scientific
Dr. Al-Azmi said the association supported the Board and Parallel Diploma Program with regard to scientific activities and events to support scientific programs and provide more than 18 scientific programs, including in-person and virtual conferences and workshops, and to support board members by providing more than one pre-examination course.

Meanwhile, the Kuwait Municipality has approved the request submitted by the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) for issuing a license for a food canteen to serve the Kuwait Dairy Company and its employees with an area of 30 square meters within the boundaries of plot No. 4 in block No. 8 in Sulaibiya Agricultural Area, which has an area of 70,000 square meters . The municipality stated that the canteen should serve only the company’s employees and its service should not take place outside the site.

It was stated in the transaction letter approved by the Director General of Kuwait Municipality Saud Al-Dabbous that the Kuwait Dairy Company applied for the license of a canteen with an area of 130 square meters within the boundaries of its plot allocated to it in Sulaibiya Agricultural Area, in under the decision of the Municipal Council issued on December 1, 2008, with a total area of 70 thousand square meters. The lease contract was signed with the Ministry of Finance, dated 4/5/2016, and PAAAFR was addressed to express an opinion on the request submitted by the Kuwait Dairy Company.

A decision was issued by the Agricultural Vouchers Committee of PAAAFR on January 17, 2024 for approving the license for a food canteen to serve the Kuwait Dairy Company and its employees within the boundaries of the area in its possession. However, it is only 30 square meters in area and the service should not be carried out outside the site. In confirmation of the article that Al-Seyassah published on Friday regarding the deposit of teachers’ bonuses on Sunday, the Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Financial Affairs Matrouk Al-Mutairi announced that the disbursement of all bonuses of all types will be completed this week. He explained that this step was based on the directives of the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr. Adel Al-Adwani for the completion of the outstanding files in the Ministry of Education, especially with regard to addressing the problem of disbursing late financial dues and giving them priority.

The process of disbursing financial claims to teachers and administrators for correcting test papers, confidential printing presses, and adult education rewards has actually begun since Thursday, March 21, 2024. The disbursement of all types of rewards will be completed next week. The remuneration of the control workers (scientific and literary) among the members of the educational, administrative, supervisory, and leadership staff will be transferred to the Central Bank and deposited in the accounts of all those eligible on Sunday, March 24. Following the directives and instructions of the Minister of Education, the Ministry of Finance approved the transfer and enhancement of some items related to rewards, which include fees for correcting test papers, confidential printing presses, scientific and literary control, shifts, adult education, and administrative supervision, and all other dues that have not been paid for a while because there are no funds to cover the disbursement.

The financial sector has begun to complete all procedures quickly before the end of the fiscal year, issuing disbursement forms in the financial systems, and presenting these forms to the Financial Supervision Authority for approval and then transferring them to the beneficiaries’ accounts. Due to the large number of financial forms and claims, these forms will be disbursed in batches until they are all completed next week. Al-Mutairi affirmed the financial sector’s keenness to complete all disbursement processes despite the limited time and the near end of the fiscal year. He expressed appreciation for the great efforts exerted by all employees in the financial department who have been working until late hours after work during the month of Ramadan, out of their keenness to complete tasks and pay the dues of all ministry employees during this short period.

By Marwa Al-Bahrawi, Inaas Awadh and Abdul Rahman Al-Shammari

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff