KUWAIT CITY, July 24, (KUNA): Inaccurate tests that World Health Organization (WHO) warned against for diagnosing active tuberculosis, when examining foreign laborers who seek residence permits, have been already halted in Kuwait since a whole year, Director of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Health Dr Fatma Al-Saidi said Sunday.
Dr Al-Saidi added, in a statement to KUNA, that the ministry forestalled the WHO warning one year before its issue in view of its previous knowledge of the inaccuracy of such tests and its output on the treatment of tuberculosis, making clear that the use of these tests at the tuberculosis treatment department comes within the narrowest limits, and as a sort of following up complicated cases, and not for diagnosis.

She also said that such tests which depend on examining blood for diagnosing active TB, which WHO warned against relying on, may lead to inaccurate diagnosis and findings in what allows the entrance of tuberculosis cases to the country, and threatens the public health.
She also pointed out that the public health department follows up the latest developments as well as the recommendations made by WHO in this respect including the warning that was recently published on July 20 by WHO website in which Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of WHO Stop TB Department said that the use of currently available commercial blood (serological) tests to diagnose active tuberculosis (TB) often leads to misdiagnosis.
She concluded by saying that Public Health Department depends on the most accurate tests to diagnose tuberculosis among the foreign labor before giving them physical fitness certificates that enable them to stay in the country, a measure which protects society as a whole against the risks of tuberculosis infection.

Health insurance
Chairman of the National Union of Kuwait Students Office in the UK and Ireland, Hamad Hamoud Al-Shammari extended in London on Sunday thanks to all who have helped in the adoption of health insurance for Kuwaiti students studying in the UK, headed by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Minister of Health, Dr Hilal Al-Sayer.
In a press statement, Al-Shammari also thanked Director of the Health Office in London Dr Yacob Al-Tamar, Cultural Attache and head of the office in London, Dr Mohammed Al-Hajri and Cultural AttachÈ Dr Nibal Bouresli for their effort and cooperation in order to achieve this project.
He added that the Union has established a special committee to follow up implementation of the health insurance under the supervision and follow-up of head of the graduate committee in the Union Ali Abdul Rahman Al-Kandari, in coordination with cultural and health offices in London.

He explained that this Committee will work, according to the memorandum of cooperation signed last week with the heads of cultural and health offices to support the efforts to complete the project requirements of health insurance with the British insurance company (BUPA) through communication with students.
He called on students studying in the UK to send a copy of their valid student visa along with the visas of the family members, in addition to the housing information, phone numbers and e-mail and the academic advisor in the cultural office.