Kuwait introduces new blood transfusion fees for expatriates

Dubai: Dr Ahmad Al Awadhi, Kuwait Health Minister, has clarified about the new fees to be charged for blood transfusions for expatriates, both residents and visitors, in Kuwait. This decision was made to avoid confusion regarding the collection of fees and to preserve the state's strategic reserves of blood.

According to the new policy, expatriates residing in Kuwait will be charged KD 20 per bag of blood, while those on visit visas will be charged KD 40 per bag. However, fees will not be collected from expatriate patients in emergency or urgent cases, cancer patients, children, and other humanitarian situations. Additionally, patients who provide their own blood donors will be exempt from these charges.

The fees for bags of blood will only be collected from expatriates undergoing non-emergency scheduled operations. Furthermore, public health facilities will charge expatriates for up to 37 lab tests related to blood transfusions. The fees for these tests will range between KD 0.5 and KD 15 for expatriates residing in Kuwait, and KD 5 to KD 70 for those on visit visas.