KUWAIT CITY, May 30: The health insurance draft law, which the Parliamentary Committee for Health Affairs is currently studying, violates the Constitution and merely serves the interests of some lawmakers and powerful businessmen, Al-Shahid daily quoted a parliamentary source as saying. As per the draft law, the source said, an insurance company will be established in which 50 percent stake will be offered to citizens through public subscription while the remaining 50 percent will be given to private sector.

“The government will pay the insurance bill on behalf of citizens and the latter will have the right to choose the place of treatment in private or public sector. But it is useless because all private hospitals in the country offer only primary medical care and do not have the capability to perform delicate operations like those conducted in public hospitals and specialized health centers,” noted the source. The source found some lawmakers’ enthusiasm towards the bill strange as “the private sector will be the sole beneficiary.”