MoH spent KD3b on purchase of medicines, drugs in 12 years

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KUWAIT CITY, Nov 9: The Ministry of Health (MOH) has spent more than 411 million dinars on the purchase of medicines, drugs and chemicals in the last fiscal year, reports Al-Anba daily. The total expenditures of the state’s public treasury actually increased in this regard to more than 3 billion dinars during the past 12 years, say sources.

According to the data, the amount the Ministry of Health has spent on medicines and drugs has been on a continuous increase since 2008, as it jumped by 240 percent, reaching 121.1 million dinars in that year, and jumping at an upward pace to 411.5 million dinars by the end of the fiscal 2019/2020. The sources stated the Ministry of Health has been continuing for years to supply its needs for medicines in excess of what is approved for it in the annual budget, and these amounts are paid in subsequent years.

The sources said that an additional appropriation was opened in the budget of the Ministry of Health after a financial deficit in the item of medicines amounting to 100 million dinars during the previous fiscal year.

Meanwhile, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) said 89 million dinars will be transferred to the account of the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) for fiscal 2020-2021 after getting approval from the National Assembly, reports Al-Rai daily.

KFAED Deputy Director-General Nidal Al-Olayan, said in a press statement this is to enhance the Fund’s social responsibility locally through its contribution to many social and economic activities at the local level as part of its initiatives to support development efforts inside Kuwait, without prejudice to its basic mission. The daily quoting Al-Olayan said the most prominent of these contributions came in 2002, when it was agreed between the Kuwait Credit Bank and KFAED that the bank would issue bonds worth 500 million dinars for the benefit of the fund to help meet housing requests at an interest rate of 2 percent annually for a period of 20 years. Since 2003, the fund has deducted no more than 25 percent of its annual net profits and transferred it to the Public Authority for Housing Welfare, indicating that the total money transferred is 376 million dinars, said the sources.

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