MoH suffers big losses in medical errors: study

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KUWAIT CITY, Dec 20, (Agencies): A mobile dental clinic has been launched to serve residents of Al-Rawdha area, a senior Ministry of Health (MoH) official announced on Saturday. In a press statement, Director of Capital Health Zone Dr. Afrah Al-Sarraf said that the mobile clinic, which caters to the elderly, is a product of donations received by Al-Rawdha Cooperative Society.

The service, the first of its kind in the country, comes as part of efforts to enhance medical services in the Capital Governorate. The clinic is comprised of a moving vehicle that transports a dental specialist from Al-Rawdha clinic, who would attend to the bed-ridden, as the service is expected to be introduced to other areas of the Governorate, Al-Sarraf said. Moreover, Chairwoman of the clinic Dr. Mariam Al-Asousi revealed that the elderly make up 3 percent of the 36,276 population of Al-Rawdha.

The clinic had provided 4,558 different home services to the elderly in the area this year, she added. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has conducted a study on the cost of medical errors committed from 2009 to 2014 and the results showed the cost amounted to KD 105,000 annually, reports Al-Kuwaitiya daily quoting Assistant Undersecretary for Health Services in the ministry Dr Jamal Al-Harbi.

According to Al-Harbi, there are two types of medical errors – one includes errors committed by the medical staff and the other consists of errors caused by medical devices or equipment. He pointed out there is a huge difference between the actual cost of medical errors and the amount insured by insurance companies. He said a proposal has been forwarded to the Cabinet to deduct KD 15 to KD 25 from the salaries of doctors monthly, depending on their designation and field of specialization, to pay for the insurance. He went on to say the proposal was presented after conducting a study on medical reports about the insurance cost from 2003 to 2007 through the union of insurance companies. He revealed the cost at the time was estimated at KD 600,000 for about 4,000 doctors; adding that the current total number of doctors is around 9,000 citizens and expatriates.

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