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Health minister under fire
Published Date: August 24, 2009
By B Izzak, Staff Writer
KUWAIT: At least two lawmakers have called on the Health Minister Helal Al-Sayer to step down over what they called his failure to face the swine flu disease that has so far killed two Kuwaitis and infected over 1,072 cases. MP Saadoun Hammad yesterday sent a series of questions to the minister about implications that surrounded the death of a young Kuwaiti man of swine flu last week.
Hammad held the minister responsible and called for his resignation. MP Mubarak Al-Waalan also accused Sayer of failing to lead the ministry in the right direction, saying he has been leading the ministry from failure to another and his handling of the swine flu is a clear evidence. Waalan said the minister should step down as a result.
Health ministry undersecretary Ibrahim Al-Abdulhadi meanwhile said there will be no delay of the start of the academic year due to swine flu disease, but added that a final decision will be made soon. Abdulhadi said that a meeting will take place within the next two days between the health and education ministries to discuss the issue of the swine flu and arrangements to reopen schools.
Arabic schools are due to reopen after Ramadan while most foreign schools are due to start the academic year early next month. The health minister has said that medical teams will be stationed at most schools to prevent any outbreak of the swine flu. In another development, a woman prisoner was diagnosed of having the swine flu after medical tests, the interior ministry announced.
The ministry added that several other women who were in contact with the infected woman were taken to hospital for tests to establish if they had contracted the disease. It said that the results have been negative so far but more tests will be carried out. But the women were returned to the prison although kept in one room.
In his questions to the health minister MP Hammad said he has learnt that the young Kuwaiti who died of swine flu on August 19 was first admitted to Sabah hospital on August 16 suffering of breathing difficulties and fever, two symptoms for thw swine flu. The lawmaker said that a sample was taken from the man for tests for the A (H1N1) disease although he was not isolated. He claimed that medical staff at the hospital failed to follow the results of the tests for three days during which the man developed s
evere pneumonia and later died.
He also claimed that the man was not treated with the swine flu medication because the results of the tests from the health ministry laboratory arrived only after his death and he was found to have contracted swine flu. MP Hammad called on the minister to investigate the case and to penalize those responsible for the incident if proven guilty.
He also demanded the minister to provide him with a detailed report about the man, especially the exact timing of being admitted to the hospital, taking the sample for tests and then the exact time of receiving the results. Hammad also asked why the results of the tests have been delayed for about four days and if the minister has taken any action against those responsible.
In another development, a request to hold an extraordinary parliamentary session to discuss the issues related to Jahra fire which killed 46 women and children and wounded dozens, has been rejected, MP Abdullah Al-Roumi said. Roumi said that the request violates article 88 of the constitution which requires the absolute majority of MPs to sign such request.
Last week, MP Waalan announced that 35 MPs signed on the request to hold the session on September 2. But last Thursday, speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi said that 10 MPs have withdrawn their names and the request will not be sent. Thirty-three MPs are needed to support any motion to hold an extraordinary session.
Health minister under fire
Published Date: August 24, 2009
By B Izzak, Staff Writer
KUWAIT: At least two lawmakers have called on the Health Minister Helal Al-Sayer to step down over what they called his failure to face the swine flu disease that has so far killed two Kuwaitis and infected over 1,072 cases. MP Saadoun Hammad yesterday sent a series of questions to the minister about implications that surrounded the death of a young Kuwaiti man of swine flu last week.
Hammad held the minister responsible and called for his resignation. MP Mubarak Al-Waalan also accused Sayer of failing to lead the ministry in the right direction, saying he has been leading the ministry from failure to another and his handling of the swine flu is a clear evidence. Waalan said the minister should step down as a result.
Health ministry undersecretary Ibrahim Al-Abdulhadi meanwhile said there will be no delay of the start of the academic year due to swine flu disease, but added that a final decision will be made soon. Abdulhadi said that a meeting will take place within the next two days between the health and education ministries to discuss the issue of the swine flu and arrangements to reopen schools.
Arabic schools are due to reopen after Ramadan while most foreign schools are due to start the academic year early next month. The health minister has said that medical teams will be stationed at most schools to prevent any outbreak of the swine flu. In another development, a woman prisoner was diagnosed of having the swine flu after medical tests, the interior ministry announced.
The ministry added that several other women who were in contact with the infected woman were taken to hospital for tests to establish if they had contracted the disease. It said that the results have been negative so far but more tests will be carried out. But the women were returned to the prison although kept in one room.
In his questions to the health minister MP Hammad said he has learnt that the young Kuwaiti who died of swine flu on August 19 was first admitted to Sabah hospital on August 16 suffering of breathing difficulties and fever, two symptoms for thw swine flu. The lawmaker said that a sample was taken from the man for tests for the A (H1N1) disease although he was not isolated. He claimed that medical staff at the hospital failed to follow the results of the tests for three days during which the man developed s
evere pneumonia and later died.
He also claimed that the man was not treated with the swine flu medication because the results of the tests from the health ministry laboratory arrived only after his death and he was found to have contracted swine flu. MP Hammad called on the minister to investigate the case and to penalize those responsible for the incident if proven guilty.
He also demanded the minister to provide him with a detailed report about the man, especially the exact timing of being admitted to the hospital, taking the sample for tests and then the exact time of receiving the results. Hammad also asked why the results of the tests have been delayed for about four days and if the minister has taken any action against those responsible.
In another development, a request to hold an extraordinary parliamentary session to discuss the issues related to Jahra fire which killed 46 women and children and wounded dozens, has been rejected, MP Abdullah Al-Roumi said. Roumi said that the request violates article 88 of the constitution which requires the absolute majority of MPs to sign such request.
Last week, MP Waalan announced that 35 MPs signed on the request to hold the session on September 2. But last Thursday, speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi said that 10 MPs have withdrawn their names and the request will not be sent. Thirty-three MPs are needed to support any motion to hold an extraordinary session.
