KUWAIT CITY - An official from the Ministry of Health (MoH) was quoted as saying the ministry is likely to form a committee of specialists and doctors which will suggest strategies to tackle cases of infection at Kuwait's entry points, reports Al-Seyassah daily. This measure aims at preventing epidemics in the country. The committee will be expected to apply measures to isolate patients suffering from contagious diseases, follow up on international health developments and create media awareness, the source said. Meanwhile, the ministry is planning to direct citizens and residents to suspend their travel to countries which have recorded cases of the H1N1 infection, the source added. The spokesman for the Ministry of Health Dr Yousef Al-Nesf stated the ministry is working in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) directives to fight the H1N1 infection, the daily said.
He stressed Kuwait is free of Swine flu.
Procedure
Bureaucracy at the Civil Service Commission (CSC) is said to have hindered the recruitment of some Bedouns (stateless persons) in the Ministry of Health (MoH), which seeks approval from CSC to complete the procedure but the commission has allegedly rejected most applications from this segment, reports Al-Qabas daily. A source disclosed the ministry has issued several decisions to facilitate employment of Bedouns as doctors, nurses, technicians, administrative employees and supervisors, which did not materialize because the CSC has not agreed on the implementation of such decisions. He affirmed the ministry has vacant positions, particularly for nurses, which Bedouns can fill but it is not possible without CSC approval.
He added some Bedoun graduate nurses are also interested in taking up the job without success, indicating salaries of most applicants from this segment are less than what expatriates take. "It is easy for non-Kuwaitis to get job offer from the ministry than Bedouns," the source affirmed. Meanwhile, CSC has put the blame for hindrances at the doorstep of the Interior Ministry, asserting the ministry is in charge of verifying status of applicants in all ministries. Sources from the commission claimed the ministry stipulates five conditions for Bedouns to qualify for various jobs in ministries. An applicant should be born to a Kuwaiti woman, included in the 1965 census, holds Kuwaiti academic certificates, without any security records and born in Kuwait. "Most of the applicants meet these conditions but the Interior Ministry insists on verification, hence, suspending the procedure," sources revealed.
© Arab Times 2009
