KUWAIT, March 31, (Agencies): Kuwaiti Minister of Health Hilal Al-Sayer said here Wednesday prices of medicines and pharmaceutical formulas would be slimmed by five percent. The fresh move is part of the Health Ministry’s efforts to provide better, but low-priced, medical services for Kuwaiti citizens and expatriates, he said. The reduction will involve as many as 5,000 types of pharmaceuticals, the minister told KUNA. “The reduction of medicine prices will contribute to cutting medical treatment costs for citizens and expatriates,” he said. Meanwhile, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Medicines and Medical Preparations Omar al-Sayed Omar said the medicine quotation committee had been reshaped. He added that prices of medicines and food supplements would be reconsidered every six months.

Meanwhile, in another development, patients will be treated by specialists in pediatrics, cosmetology, brain and nerves surgery, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and non-profit University hospitals in Bavaria Province of Germany, reports Al-Rai daily. The Director of Overseas Treatment Dr Mohammad Al-Masha’an noted the process will also involve sending Kuwaiti doctors for training in the hospitals, so as to benefit from the German expertise.  Meanwhile, German surgical specialists will be invited to prepare the Kuwaiti doctors for complex surgeries, and provide training to the medical personnel. He confirmed the ministry is seeking to develop and promote investments in the health field, while exchanging expertise and doctors with Germany to enhance the quality of health service in Kuwait.