Kuwait's total drug market would increase in value from $377 million in 2008 to $484 million by 2013, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.15 percent in US dollar terms, the latest report on the country's pharmaceuticals and healthcare sector said. Per-capita spending on pharmaceuticals will reach $142 by this point, which is still comparatively low for the Middle East region. Total healthcare spending will rise from $3.94 billion in 2008 to $4.38 billion by 2013, growing at a CAGR rate of 2.14 percent in US dollar terms, it said. The “Kuwait Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q4 2009” said Kuwait “is suffering from a shortage of well-trained and qualified nurses.” It pointed out that “with no major state-run training programs for women who may want to enter nursing, the country is now almost entirely reliant on expatriate nursing staff. Dependence on foreign workers means the government must now implement urgent education programs for its own people to become qualified.” The situation would greatly reduce healthcare spending in the long run, while also boosting the domestic economy through higher employment levels, it stressed. However, the country's Ministry of Health is trying to improve the retention rate of foreign trained doctors working in the country, the report said. Nonetheless, the report said “we believe that retaining qualified staff from abroad is a temporary solution. In the long run, the government should be seeking to improve its staff composition and the infrastructure under which they work.” __
