May 2023
8

The Kuwaiti Progressive Movement opposes blood bag fees, rejects discrimination among patients, and the commodification of health services.

تم النشر بواسطة المكتب الإعلامي
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The decision to impose fees on residents in exchange for blood bags represents moral bankruptcy for those in charge of managing the health sector and an unacceptable evasion of commitment to the rules of medical ethics, which are considered a systematic basis upon which is the medical institution and its representatives in various parts of the world rest. Such ill-conceived and arbitrary decisions violate two basic principles of medical ethics, namely:

1- Avoiding harm, this includes balancing the benefits of any medical procedure against the burdens of intervention and treatment and avoiding procedures that would constitute a burden on the patient in terms of health and economic aspects.

2- Justice in the distribution of health resources and non-discrimination among patients based on religion, race, class or gender.

We see that class racism is no longer hidden, but began to penetrate clearly and blatantly into all state institutions, until the audacity reached the commodification of the health sector by trading in the blood of both citizens and residents and then selling it to residents.
Unfortunately, we are witnessing in Kuwait an unprecedented level of perpetuation of racism and its exploitation in state institutions for shameful and abhorrent purposes on the moral and social levels.< /p>

The need for blood transfusion does not come from a position of luxury and is not considered an optional treatment as it is trying to portray it and export it to the media, as people undergo blood transfusions for Many reasons such as surgery, severe injuries, genetic blood disorders, and those subject to bleeding, and this type of medical intervention directly contributes to saving the life of the recipient. Therefore, the wording of the clauses of the exceptions presented in the decision to impose fees is flexible wording that only adds more economic burdens, and creates a state of reluctance to donate blood, bearing in mind that most of the blood bank donors in Kuwait are residents, which will put more pressure on the blood bank and the inability to meet its needs.

It is not hidden from us that the state is towards heading privatizing health and benefiting both health insurance companies And the private health sector that does not meet their required contributions in terms of coverage of treatments and examinations that achieve the desired benefit. This indicates the state's inability to take reform decisions to diversify sources of income, as it tends to target the pockets of low-income citizens and residents and charge them an economic cost to cover up its mismanagement of state institutions as well as human resources and the reduction of its budget for health.

Hence, the Kuwaiti Progressive Movement expresses its rejection of the policy of restricting the basic rights of citizens and residents by imposing fees on blood donation services because of the commodification of public services. It also rejects class racism and hatred for personal political purposes, and the benefit of social forces that dominate the joints of the state at the expense of citizens and residents. We affirm our belief in social justice, which includes the health sector, as stipulated in the Kuwaiti Constitution in Article 15.

Kuwait

7th of May , 2023