Introduction

The Kuwait Medical Complex, sponsored by the Marafie Foundation Pakistan, aims to offer accessible and affordable quality healthcare to the local population. Currently, people who are well-off in the region travel to other parts of the country for better medical services, which can be both inconvenient and expensive. Meanwhile, those who cannot afford the high costs of private healthcare have to rely on poorly funded and under-equipped public health facilities.

The establishment of the Kuwait Medical Complex is a step towards addressing this issue by providing quality healthcare services to the local population without having to travel far from their homes. The complex is equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and staffed with highly qualified medical professionals who provide quality care.

With the Kuwait Medical Complex in place, individuals who were previously unable to access quality healthcare due to financial constraints can now receive the medical attention they need.  Kuwait Medical Complex is a vital addition to the healthcare infrastructure of the region. It offers a range of medical services, from routine check-ups to emergency care, and is committed to providing quality care to all patients, regardless of their financial status.

Objective

KMC will address the following needs of the local population.

• Provide affordable competitive medical services by some of the best doctors of Pakistan in a well-equipped and quality modern hospital with all possible facilities.
• Provide free and discounted medical cover to the deserving members of the population.

It must be understood that free or discounted medical cover cannot be sustained therefore this policy has been framed keeping in view similar systems/policies adopted by some of the existing charity hospitals in other parts of the country including Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital.

Policy guidelines and procedures

To achieve its objectives, the Kuwait Medical Complex has developed policy guidelines and procedures for treating paid and low-income patients.

The following policies will be followed:

Treatment of paid patients:

All patients at KMC will be considered paid patients, and the hospital will charge reasonable rates for its services, which will be comparable to the charges fixed by the Combined Military Hospital (CMH). Patients will be required to pay the hospital fees as per normal practice.

Free/discounted treatment:

For patients who are very poor or low-income, the Marafie Foundation representative located in the hospital will take the following steps to determine their eligibility for free or discounted treatment:

1. The patient will be assessed by the Marafie Foundation representative, and a ground check will be conducted if required.
2.  The patient will be required to sign a statement confirming their financial status and eligibility to receive Zakat, Sadqat or Khumus.
3.  If the patient is eligible for free treatment, the Marafie Foundation will issue an authorization letter for treatment, and all charges will be remitted to the hospital from the Marafie Foundation account.
4. In the case of discounted treatment, due diligence will be conducted, and the approved discount will be conveyed to the hospital management for reimbursement.
5. Discounted and free treatment will only for the hospitalization cases requiring any procedures. It will not be applicable for routine treatment of a patient in the OPD.

These policies will ensure that the hospital can continue to provide quality healthcare to the people of Baltistan, as well as to the rising number of tourists visiting the region. By offering free or discounted treatment to those who cannot afford it, KMC is fulfilling its commitment to serve the community and provide accessible healthcare to all.

Mechanism and arrangement for funding of free/discounted treatment

In order to ensure that the quality of healthcare provided by KMC is not compromised, the Marafie Foundation will utilize the following resources to offset the costs of providing free or discounted healthcare to the poor and needy:

1. An annual grant to cover treatment expenses.
2. Income generated from services provided to affluent patients
3. Support from Bait-ul-Maal and Zakat Fund
4. Utilization of national health insurance cards for patients’ treatment
5. Fundraising from local communities through donations
6. Donations from other sources

By leveraging these resources, the Marafie Foundation can ensure that KMC can continue to provide high-quality healthcare services to those who might not otherwise have access to them. These efforts reflect our commitment to ensuring that everyone has access to the care they need, regardless of their financial circumstances.

Encashment of voluntary services by doctors

For many years’ top professionals from outside GB have been visiting Skardu and participating in medical camps. In these camps the treatment irrespective of the financial status of the patients the health services including procedures were provided free of cost. Now all these medical camps and procedures will be performed in KMC new hospital premises. The services of these top doctors have a value, and we intend to convert these services into to cash donations to be spent only on the treatment of the poor and needy.

For all services by the visiting volunteer doctors an appropriate fee will be charged, and all such amounts will be donated in the name of the concern doctor for the treatment and service to the poor and deserving only. The patients who can afford the treatment will be charged for all services and the amount will be utilized for treatment of the poor. The doctor concerned will be issued a letter indicating his/her cash converted services and treated as donation in his name.

Charity Medical Camps

We have previously supported medical camps organized by partner charities and NGOs, which bring in specialized medical professionals and supplies. Moving forward, we will enter a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with these organizations based on the following key principles:

1.  Charities holding medical camps must adhere to our guidelines to ensure that resources are maximized and used for the treatment of deserving individuals in need.
2. Medical camps will operate within defined parameters established by KMC, as outlined in the preceding paragraph. All income generated by these camps will be credited to the Marafie Foundation account to ensure that it is channeled and utilized exclusively for free or discounted treatment of the poor.
3. The MOU will include detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the medical camps. At the conclusion of each camp, NGOs will receive a statement of their contribution to record and acknowledge their support.
4. By working together, we can ensure that medical camps run smoothly and effectively, providing crucial services to those who need them most