10/12/2025
Share:
10/12/2025
Share:
KUWAIT CITY, Dec 10: The Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadhi, has issued a new ministerial decision establishing clear rules and conditions for granting professional practice licenses in the private medical sector, whether on a full-time or part-time basis. The move aims to strengthen professional discipline, regulate the transition of doctors between the public and private sectors, unify licensing requirements, and ensure the quality and stability of medical training and healthcare services.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health said the decision is based on Ministerial Resolution No. 71 of 2024, which governs the general rules for licensing medical practice in both the government and private sectors. It also follows the recommendations approved during the 83rd meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Kuwait Institute for Medical Specializations (KIMS), held on December 1, 2025, which endorsed a comprehensive framework to regulate the issuance of private-sector licenses for medical doctors.
The Ministry explained that the decision defines the required government service period that doctors must complete before being licensed to practice in the private sector. Under the new regulations, doctors who obtain board certificates from accredited programs and fellowships supervised by KIMS, or from equivalent recognized programs, must complete a period of practice in the government sector equal to the duration of their study at the Institute before being eligible for private-sector licensing.
Special provisions have been introduced for doctors who completed their training on scholarship. Doctors who underwent their entire training outside Kuwait are required to serve in the government sector for a period equal to the duration of their scholarship before they may practice privately. For scholarship recipients who completed part of their training abroad but obtained their final qualification through the Kuwait Institute for Medical Specializations, the required government service period will also be equivalent to the scholarship duration. In such cases, the service period will be calculated from the date the scholarship was awarded, in addition to the duration of study completed at KIMS.
To strengthen transparency and institutional accountability, the decision introduces verification procedures as part of the licensing and renewal process. The Health Licensing Department will require applicants to submit a clearance certificate from the Kuwait Institute for Medical Specializations confirming completion of the mandatory government service period. Doctors must also provide a separate clearance certificate issued by the Civil Service Commission or the Ministry of Health’s Legal Department confirming that they have no outstanding financial obligations to the state.
The decision further affirms that doctors covered by its provisions are required to remain committed to practicing in the government sector throughout the stipulated service period and may not transfer to private practice before fulfilling this obligation.
According to the Ministry, the new regulations form an integrated and unified framework designed to align doctors’ professional pathways with national healthcare needs. The measures promote orderly movement between the public and private sectors, protect the integrity of medical training programs, and help maintain high standards of healthcare delivery, while balancing training commitments with professional practice requirements.
