KUWAIT CITY, Dec 28: Head of the Surgical Department at the Al-Sabah Hospital Dr Mubarak Al-Kandari has revealed that Kuwait has the highest number of obesity cases in the world, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
The public and private hospitals in the country, he said, carried out 5,000 surgeries and extracted stomach fat from 80 percent of the patients to help them regain their health in 2011.
Dr Al-Kandari disclosed this during a workshop under the title ‘Dealing with Multiplication of Obesity’ which was organized by the department at Holiday Inn Hotel on Tuesday. Several specialists, consultants and surgeons attended the event.
He disclosed excessive obesity on an average is 37 percent, while a large number of patients put on weight after the surgery. This signifies failure in the bid to reduce weight.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in line with directives issued by Minister Mustapha Al-Shamali has taken strict measures to disclose and audit the Overseas Treatment files in addition to the financial statements of cash given to patients and relatives who accompanied them during treatment overseas, reports Al-Horriya daily quoting sources.
The same sources say the procedures include a check-up of patients to ensure they need to travel abroad for treatment.
The daily added the minister has ordered a thorough audit of hospital bills — bills from hospitals where the patients are treated.
On the other hand the Al-Dar daily said, a report issued up by Legal Affairs Department of the Health Ministry has disclosed that the ministry lost a number of court cases involving medical errors since 2003 and as a result had to shell out KD 70,000.
The report mentioned the ministry in 2004 lost a case and paid KD 50,001 and it lost six cases in 2005 and paid compensations worth KD 85,000.
It said in 2006 the ministry lost two cases and ended up paying KD 20,000.
The sources confirmed the Legal Affairs Department is still counting the money the ministry has lost due to medical errors.