KUWAIT CITY, March 10: MP Dr Faisal Al-Muslim has called on Minister of Health Dr Hilal Al-Sayer and Undersecretary Dr Ibrahim Al-Abdul-Hadi to look into the problems of expat workers in Khaitan. He said when he met officials of the Ministry of Health (MoH) one-and-half years ago, he was promised that the old Khaitan Clinic will be reserved only for expat workers, and added that officials then asked him for grace period to complete Al-Osaimi Health Center. Speaking to reporters at the Parliament, Dr Al-Muslim said “Al-Osaimi Health Center was opened a few days ago and we thank the donors for their contribution; however, it has been noticed that all services are now being offered at the center, even for expatriate workers, which is contrary to the agreement made with the former minister of health Ali Al-Ajmi, former undersecretary Dr Yousef Al-Dowairi and former director of health zone Ali Al-Faudari.”

“We will not accept this situation and we are confident the incumbent minister of health is not aware of this situation as he will not accept any violation in official agreements,” noted Al-Muslim. He mentioned that he talked to Dr Yousef Al-Dowairi and will hold a meeting to address this issue. “The expatriates in Khaitan have been long suffering as bachelors are not allowed to enter old Khaitan Clinic following a ministerial decision,” he said, adding “we hope the minister of health and undersecretary will do justice to Khaitan residents.” He also called for rectifying the flaw “which forces Khaitan residents to tolerate bachelors among their midst.”

In another development, parliamentary Committee for Environmental Affairs finished its final report on environmental pollution in Ali Sabah Al-Salem (Umm Al-Haiman) and came up with 13 recommendations on the issue. Committee Chairman MP Dr Ali Al-Omair said the committee held its eighth meeting Wednesday and discussed the level of pollution in the area and how to tackle it. He added that the committee’s report described the situation since the beginning of the problem; the committees which were formed by the government, in addition to the measures taken since 2004 until now and the failure of authorities to follow-up pollution in this area.

He noted that the report includes 13 recommendations, which on taking appropriate measures, will help in alleviating suffering in this area and reduce pollution levels. He also noted that the studies carried out by Environment Public Authority (EPA), Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) and Kuwait University were included in the committee’s report and added that these studies confirmed that the high rate of pollution had negative effects on people’s health in this area. As per the studies, government was supposed to take deterring and swift measures, but was somehow delayed in taking the said measures.

The committee recommends that factories which are still violating regulations set by EPA and Public Authority for Industry (PAI) be shut down permanently, he added. The committee also asks the government to intensify its supervisory measures through its various institutions and authorities and international environmental institutions and hold accountable the factories that violate environmental laws in Umm Al-Haiman, noted the lawmaker. Agencies add: The Environment Public Authority (EPA) said penalties imposed on a number of factories in Kuwaiti are not directed at their business but serve benefit of the city’s residents.

Proposals taken on Umm Al-Haiman, a residential area located in proximity to a number of factories, are also aimed at solving the environmental problem in Kuwait without affecting residents or the local industry, Head of the EPA’s environmental industry department, Mohammed Al-Enezi told KUNA.
Several penalties have been imposed on 12 factories in the area. Nine factories are to be closed for three days, while the remaining three will face a week’s standstill. The Higher Environment Council will closely monitor factories like these in the south of Kuwait, in order to maintain a cleaner environment for residents of the region, Al-Enezi added. The EPA sends a warning to factories, who do not abide by environmental laws in the country, and those who refuse to adhere are burdened by procedures like these, “and everyone should respect the law,” the official stressed.