Minister of Health issues a decision to regulate surgical procedures and medical interventions in the public and private sectors
Kuwait City, August 10 (KUNA) -- Health Minister Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi issued a ministerial decision today, Monday, regulating the performance of surgical procedures and medical interventions in both the public and private sectors.
In a press statement, the Ministry of Health said the decision stipulated that health facilities must be licensed according to their classification and comply with approved standards for healthcare quality, infection control, and anesthesia safety, thereby regulating the authority and professional privileges of physicians, as well as oversight, follow-up, documentation, and post-operative care mechanisms.
It added that the decision assigned departmental councils the authority to grant and approve the rights to perform surgical procedures and medical interventions, classifying approved procedures for each specialty based on job title, professional license, specialization, experience, and the nature of the procedure.
The decision enhances the supervisory and regulatory role of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health. It stipulates the approval of procedure classifications, requirements, controls, and standards submitted by departmental councils. Each council must submit a list of surgical procedures specific to its specialty to the Undersecretary within three months of the decision’s publication for approval.
The decision empowers the Undersecretary, or his delegate according to the administrative hierarchy, to temporarily suspend the authority to perform surgeries or medical interventions when medically necessary. It also mandates the review of requests concerning overlapping authorities among different medical specialties within three months of the decision’s publication.
The Ministry emphasized that the decision reaffirmed the necessity of linking surgical procedures and medical interventions to the physician’s specialty, license, and approved professional privileges. It stipulated that elective scheduled surgeries must be approved by a physician at the specialist level or higher.
Furthermore, the decision strengthens patients’ rights by obligating the attending physician or a designated member of the medical team to obtain informed consent from the patient or their legal representative before performing any surgery or medical intervention, and to document it in the medical file. It also requires disclosing the identity of the medical team performing the procedure to the patient, and prohibits delegating the procedure to another physician without the patient’s or their representative’s consent, provided that the substitute physician holds the necessary authority.
The Ministry noted that the decision permits physicians working in the public sector, within the scope of their license and specified controls, to perform surgeries and medical interventions in other government hospitals when necessary, after obtaining the required approvals. It also requires that the host hospital be prepared and that a qualified medical team be available to monitor potential complications.
Additionally, the decision allows, in emergency or critical cases aimed at preserving the patient’s life or preventing serious harm, for surgeons employed by the Ministry of Health to provide surgical care in private health facilities, in accordance with the approvals and procedures specified by the decision.
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