UNDP and the State of Kuwait, represented by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development (GSSCPD), strive to enhance institutional capacities at various government agencies by providing them with necessary technical support to strengthen their capacities and skills to perform their expected duties. GSSCPD is mandated, among other tasks, to elaborate, coordinate and oversee the implementation of the Kuwait National Development Plan (KNDP) which addresses the challenges of economic development, human and social development, public health development, the efficiency of the state institutions and administration and combating corruption, in accordance with H.H. the Amir’s State Vision “Kuwait 2035”.

UNDP collaborates closely with GSSCPD to support the establishment of a pioneer Kuwait Public Policy Centre (KPPC) to address policy making gaps and mainstream policy research, analysis and studies in the policy making process. The KPPC seeks to be a reliable platform that will influence national policies and strategies. This project provides a framework of how UNDP will accompany the GSSCPD in its ambition to improve the quality of policy making in Kuwait and on how the KPPC can contribute to that, while operating under the umbrella of GSSCPD.

Within the framework of the policy dialogue sessions organized by the KPPC, and in order to improve the Kuwait national health system, UNDP in partnership with the State of Kuwait, represented by GSSCPD, will be organizing “Roundtable Discussion for Establishing Kuwait National Health Policy Framework: for ensuring healthy lives and wellbeing for all at all ages”. The discussion will catalyze progress towards realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically the SDG3 Good Health and Well-Being, on the national aspirations enshrined in the Kuwait 2035 vision, and the country’s national development plan and goals.

Since 1961 the State of Kuwait has been providing National Health Service to its people, being recognized as a successful for the universal health coverage through the full healthcare services including oversea treatments. But the State of Kuwait faced a series of health challenges and policy gaps during the last decades, including lifestyle changes and NCDs burden, treatment-oriented policy and financial burden, privatization policy and related challenges, challenges for universal health coverage (UHC), ambiguous public-private partnership and governance challenges, and absence of long-term health plan considering macro perspectives.

The overall objective is to promote the importance of linking the national health system and health policies to the achievements of the 2030 global agenda. It will shed the light on the national health policy framework for ensuring healthy lives and wellbeing for all at all ages.

KPPC Report on the Current Health Policies in the KNDP

Since 2011, the State of Kuwait and UN agencies have undertaken observation analyses for strengthening health system. The United National Development Programmer (UNDP) and the State of Kuwait, represented by General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development (GSSCPD) have developed the national health policy framework being consisted of vison, strategic directions, 17 health policies, and seven related acts.

It is expected that the strategic direction of the national health policy framework, “achieving holistic health system and health in all policies”, responds to the current and future health challenges tightly; and contribute to reach the vision, “healthy lives and well-being for all at all ages”.

The strategic directions of the national health policy framework respond to the current and future health challenges, considering social, economic, and environmental determinants of health through achieving holistic health system and health in all policy. A health system is a set of inter-connected parts that must function together to be effective. It comprises all the organizations, institutes and resources that are devoted to produce health actions whose primary purpose is to improve, restore, and maintain health effective. Therefore, interaction between building blocks is essential for achieving better health outcomes