Ministry of Health Investigating Certification of Expat Doctors

Kuwait’s Ministry of Health has tapped a special international organization, EPIC, to verify doctors’ professional certificates as part of the government’s initiative to regulate the labour force in the country.

With the entry of the international screening committee into the scene, the ministry hopes to achieve a marked improvement in the quality of health care delivery in the country, as it aligns with the vision and directive of the government concerning labour standards in the state.

MOH Taps Int’l Organization to Verify Expat Doctors’ Certification
Image Credit: MOH

MOH Assigns EPIC to Review Expat Doctors’ Certification

As per the report by the Al-Rai Daily, the ministry will not bear any cost, as the verification fees shall be covered by the doctor seeking employment in the country. Moreover, the costs to be paid by doctors are determined by the international organization, and not by the ministry. Non-Kuwaiti doctors will be required to pay $125 to register an account with the organization, and pay $80 per document or certification to be verified.

EPIC has forged partnerships with a number of leading international organizations which include the General Medical Council of Britain, Australia, Ireland, and the United States.

According to Dr Ahmed Al-Enezi, president of the Kuwaiti Medical Association, the decision of the government to take on EPIC’s services to help regulate the industry is a welcome development, as it has been one of the recommendations floated during the discussion with the association.

Al-Enezi noted that EPIC is a global non-profit organization recognized by most of the world’s advanced and highly qualified countries in the field of health and medicine. He also added that EPIC is among the world’s best scientific certification institutions with over 60 years of experience.

It has already worked with over 2,400 medical colleges in more than 180 countries. EPIC is a privately-established healthcare software company. As per the company, hospitals in the USA have widely used their services, handling records of about 64% of all patients in the country, and 2.5% of all patients in the world.

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