UK and Kuwait agree closer cooperation on health
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on health cooperation between the UK and Kuwait was signed in Dubai on 27 January 2014.
Earl Howe and His Excellency Dr Ali Saad Al-Obaidi, Minister of Health for Kuwait, sign the Memorandum of Understanding at Arab Health in Dubai
The Rt Hon Earl Howe, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Quality in the Department of Health, signed the Memorandum with His Excellency Dr Ali Saad Al-Obaidi, Minister of Health for Kuwait. The MoU, signed at the Arab Health exhibition, agreed a number of areas for cooperation including joint initiatives on non-communicable diseases, the management and running of hospitals, and development of infrastructure.
Earl Howe said: “The UK has strong and historic ties to Kuwait. The agreement we are signing today marks the start of a new and more focussed relationship in health at a time when Kuwait is planning significant updating and expansion of its healthcare system.”
Howard Lyons, Director of Healthcare UK said: “UK companies have the skills and experience to help Kuwait with their extensive programme of change which aims to double the number of hospital beds available in Kuwait in only a few years. 221 UK companies are exhibiting here at Arab Health and Healthcare UK is here to help them win business in Kuwait and other countries around the world.”
The UK has a longstanding relationship with Kuwait in the healthcare sector. This ranges from exchanges of clinical information and best practise to partnerships between and Kuwaiti and British healthcare institutions such as Great Ormond Street Hospital. Over 1200 Kuwaiti patients travel to the UK each year for private healthcare and the UK and Kuwait share a number of common goals in the detection and treatment of diabetes and heart disease.
The MoU is designed to allow a more structured exchange of information and an even closer working relationship. The MoU specifies nine areas of cooperation, which are:
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infrastructure,
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knowledge transfer
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digital infrastructure/informatics
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primary care
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training & education
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medical equipment & devices
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health systems management
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administration of public hospitals
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non-communicable diseases/chronic diseases