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The cost of home nursing care has surpassed normal levels, becoming a new burden for many families and elderly individuals who require daily care but lack the financial means to afford its high costs.

Amid global inflation that has bankrupted nations, nursing services have only exacerbated the problem. In some cases, the cost of a home nurse has exceeded 1,000 Kuwaiti dinars for a half-day shift, and it can rise further depending on the number of hours, specific needs, or the medical agency involved. This raises the question: How can an elderly person, living on a modest pension, afford such expenses? Does he have to hand over his entire pension and the fruits of a lifetime of hardship to a nurse, leaving him helpless and dependent?

The solution requires comprehensive treatment, regulation, and study. It is crucial for relevant authorities to establish a clear and fair ceiling for nursing service prices, as these services are a basic necessity. Moreover, strict oversight must be imposed on private companies that inflate prices and exploit people’s needs and illnesses. Some agencies even recruit nurses whose qualifications are questionable, with their credentials’ origins unknown.

If the Ministry of Health provides home nursing support services for patients, I hope these services are made widely known so that patients and the elderly can benefit from them. If such services are unavailable, I hope partial subsidies are provided for the elderly and low-income individuals, and that subsidized nursing services are established on an hourly basis, moving away from exorbitant salaries, unaffordable costs, and unrealistic prices.

Many of us have observed this phenomenon or the sad scenes of elderly people accompanying their caregivers to shopping malls, government ministries, and hospitals. In many cases, these caregivers have become more prominent than their own children. Therefore, limiting the number of such caregivers, reviewing the health status of the elderly, and providing nurses at reasonable salaries would significantly improve their psychological well-being. There are many examples of this, and it is a situation present in nearly every household.