State terminates contracts with institutional quarantine centers

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Deal with Int’l Fairs Ground Co for vaccination remains

KUWAIT CITY, April 11: Minister of Finance and State Minister for Economic Affairs and Investment Khalifa Hamada says the number of institutional quarantine centers (local hotels and chalets) prepared by the state since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic reached 23 with a total capacity of 4,600 units, reports Al-Anba daily. He revealed that the contracts with these quarantine centers have been terminated except for the contract with the Kuwait International Fairs Ground Company for vaccination purposes. In response to a parliamentary question submitted by MP Dr Abdulaziz Al- Saqabi, the minister explained that the cost of the contracts concluded by the Ministry of Finance with the 23 quarantine centers amounted to KD 13.5 million.

All of the contracts were signed after obtaining the approval of the regulatory authorities, which is the Central Agency For Public Tenders, Fatwa and Legislation Department, and the State Audit Bureau. The exchange mechanism (documentary cycle) was provided by the companies contracted with by the concerned authorities in the Ministry of Finance. The invoices are reviewed and matched with the contractual prices to ensure that the company adheres to the terms of the contract. Then a form is prepared to disburse the dues attached to the company’s invoice with the documents that back the expenditures, which are copies of the contract and the approval of the regulatory authorities on the contract.

Approval
Hamada said, “The form is sent with all the attachments to the office of the financial observer authority for review, approval of the form and its entry on the Oracle system. After the financial observers authority approves the disbursement form and inserts it into the Oracle system, necessary measures are taken. The concerned authorities in the ministry prepare the bank transfer to deduct the company’s dues through the ministry’s account in the Central Bank of Kuwait, which notifies the commercial bank where the company’s account is open to deposit these dues.

Regarding the technical motives and legal justifications to oblige all citizens coming from abroad to undergo institutional quarantine at their own expense in local hotels, especially since the state has allocated institutional quarantine centers to accommodate those coming from abroad, the Minister of Finance said, “The decision issued in this regard falls under the jurisdiction of the ministerial committee for COVID-19 emergency. It should be noted that there are no current contracts to provide health quarantine facilities at the government’s expense, except for the contract concluded with the Kuwait International Fairs Ground Company for vaccination purposes”.

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