Compulsory health insurance for foreigners in Kuwait

The Kuwaiti dailies said on Monday that foreigners who live in Kuwait who have paid for medical expenses since August 1999 have to have medical insurance at a cost of US $200 annually as of February.

Kuwaiti Health Minister Muhammad al-Jarullah said that bosses in the private sector and the government in the state run companies will pay the installments of the health insurance for the foreign workers, but those workers have to repay installments they owe to pay for members of their families.