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Promoting Health Sector Reform in Kuwait
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Welcome to the Kuwait Health Initiative’s page dedicated to health sector news and events. Information posted here will provide highlights on major crises and developments in Kuwait and other Gulf nations. Also, using current media reports, the Kuwait Health team will focus on specific deficits in our health care system and, with the support of our readers, propose solutions to overcome them.
Kuwait - Arab Times (Dec 26, 2007)
Toxic gas kills 4 in Kuwaiti home
KUWAIT : The leakage of toxic gases from pesticides stored in the basement of the house in Abdullah Mubarak residential area killed two Kuwaiti children and two maids early in the morning Tuesday, Interior Ministry sources told the Arab Times. Four other Kuwaitis in the house who inhaled the toxic gas have been admitted to the hospital in critical condition. The house has been sealed to carry out forensic examinations, sources added. Acting Director of Farwaniya fire brigade Col Yousef Abdelmalak Al-Failkawi told the press that a chemical reaction of pesticides stored in a rented basement triggered off toxic vapors that permeated the floors above.
“As the windows and other ventilations were closed due to the cold weather, the vapors saturated the rooms where the victims were sleeping,” the colonel added. Such incidents occur when people do not abide by the safety conditions and regulations, he added, pointing out the basement did not have a license to be used as a storage facility. Among the children who died, one was a boy, aged 8 years, and a girl, aged just 2 months. One of the two dead maids was an Indian and other an Indonesian, the sources confirmed.
According to security sources the basement was leased to a major food company to store foodstuffs. However, the company stored pesticides around the foodstuff to prevent the foodstuff from going bad. The chemical reaction between the foodstuff and the pesticides reportedly triggered off the toxic fumes. According to sources one of the children who inhaled the fumes complained of stomach pain, but doctors at the Farwaniya Hospital, where the child was taken by the father, said such pain was normal due to the cold weather and was given medication as such.
Doctors at the hospital assured the father that everything would be fine and there was nothing to worry. After the family went to bed the father felt a strange odor. He rushed to check on his family and found his two children and two maids lifeless. He immediately informed the Operations Department of the Ministry of Interior. According to sources five houses in the perimeter where the incident took place have been evacuated as a precautionary measure. A special committee has been formed to investigate the incident.
By Valiya S. Sajjad and Abubakar A. IbrahimArab Times Staff
Kuwait - Arab Times (Apr 11, 200 
New fast food eateries in South Kuwait
KUWAIT CITY : The Kuwait Food Company (Americana) Tuesday opened the Americana fast food restaurant complex in the vicinity of Umm Al-Haiman Cooperative Society in a suburb of Ali Sabah Al-Salem comprising Hardee’s, Chicken Tikka, and Kruspy Kreme.
The new fast food two-floor complex was inaugurated by the board chairman and members of the Cooperative Society during a ceremony which was also attended by the elite and prominent personalities of the area, the press and young food enthusiasts.
Talking to the Arab Times board Chairman of the cooperative society Mohsen Sa’ad Al-Ajmi said it is an honor for the cooperative to house the fast food complex which has become one of the landmarks in the area.
Talking about the benefits of the complex to the society, Al-Ajmi said “the KFC, Hardee’s, Chicken Tikka and Kruspy Kreme are famous and unique fast food brands that offer the best and clean services and we expect them to do the same to our society. We are proud to have this type of food complex for the first time in the history of this area.”
Asked whether the complex will have any impact on the cooperative society, Al-Ajmi said to the contrary the board members are happy that the complex is near the society because it will not only bring in more customers for the cooperative, but also encourage the people of the area to visit the place.
General Manager of the new food complex Tamir Shahab told the Arab Times he is very happy at the opening of these restaurants in the area. With the opening of this branch Americana now has 63 branches of the franchise all over the country.
He expressed his gratitude to the administration of the Umm Al-Haiman Cooperative Society for helping to establish and inaugurate the food complex in this area.
The Kuwait Food Company (Americana) S.A.K. is a Kuwait-based company engaged in the manufacture, import and sale of foodstuffs and beverages by wholesale and retail, as well as owning a series of fast food restaurants in the State of Kuwait and other Middle East countries.
The Americana has 900 restaurants and cafes across 12 Arab countries with a number of international franchises, such as the KFC, Hardee’s, Chicken Tikka, T.G.I. Fridays, Grand Cafe, Costa, Baskin Robbins and Pizza Hut.
By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff
December 26, 2007 at 15:14
RE: Toxic gas kills 4 in Kuwaiti home
This tragedy highlights many important faults in our system.
Based on the availability of pesticides in Kuwait (and of course not considering illegal substances), the life-threatening agents one must consider include aluminium phosphide, methyl bromide, or any of the organophosphates and carbamates. These are highly toxic compounds.
The first fault is the general lack of awareness. Our people do not understand or know of the dangers that they may be exposes to. This stems from the absence of public campaigns aimed at educating us on major health hazards and how to prevents events such as this particular one.
Secondly, it is the failure of the regulatory authorities to enforce or create proper regulations to avoid such scenarios. Our government needs to establish quality control measures in the form of regular auditing of manufacturers, storage facilities, and importers. Remediation must be firm and consequential.
Thirdly, as repeated examples have highlighted, our health care system has once again failed us. Our health care facilities, and emergency departments in particular, are considered to be the ultimate safety net. One fact that needs to be understood by all is that emergency physicians have a very different role than internists, general practitioners, or even surgeons. When someone presents complaining of abdominal pain, our job is not to think of what are the most common diagnoses and dismiss our patients, as it was done here, but instead we need to know what can kill them and work to rule those life-threats out first. Most of our emergency physicians are trained in these other specialties and have yet to let go of their inappropriate practices. Here’s another disaster you can add to a long list.
Don’t get me wrong, toxic exposures remain fairly common and occur in even the most prepared of nations. However, it is indeed the preparedness that makes the difference. The prompt recognition of the exposure, appropriate management, and rapid dispatch of health authorities to quarantine the premises are key elements in the prevention of poor outcomes.
Addendum:
Following this tragic event, many news agencies have published articles regarding the need to install smoke detectors to avoid such accidents. Every home needs to be equipped with smoke AND carbon monoxide detectors. No question. However, what must be clarified to avoid false reassurances is that toxins such as pesticides are not detected by those devices. It is only by avoiding the storage of those deadly agents that we’ll prevent catastrophes like this from happening.