Ministry of Health Issues Six Decisions Resetting the Rules for Medical Practice in Kuwait

The Ministry of Health has published six ministerial decisions in the Official Gazette, Kuwait Al-Youm Issue 1804, dated 16 August 2026, the broadest single update to Kuwait's medical practice rules in years. All six take effect from issuance.

Decision No. 220 of 2026 sets the conditions for surgical operations and medical interventions in both the government and private sectors. Facilities must hold a Ministry licence, informed consent must be documented in the medical file before every procedure, surgeons may operate only within privileges approved for their specialty, and each department council must file a classification list of its operations with the Ministry within three months. Decision No. 221 of 2026 regulates bariatric (weight loss) surgery and non-surgical weight procedures, bars them for patients under 18 and creates a national registry of these operations at the Ministry.

Decision No. 225 of 2026 introduces a full licensing regime for psychological treatment and counselling services, with set qualifications, consent and confidentiality duties, and a clear rule that these services may only be provided by licensed practitioners inside Ministry-licensed facilities. Companies operating on a commercial licence alone that have not already started Ministry licensing must stop offering psychological services immediately. The decision replaces Decision No. 79 of 2025.

Decision No. 232 of 2026 tightens the conditions for cosmetic procedures, including specialist examination before each session and psychiatric reports in defined cases. Decision No. 235 of 2026 rewrites the licensing procedures for private pharmacies and the handling of medicines in them, and Decision No. 214 of 2026 reorganises how biological medicines are prescribed and dispensed in Ministry facilities.

WEFAQ's view: this package reaches well beyond doctors. Hospital groups, clinic chains, cosmetic centres, psychology practices and pharmacy operators all carry new documentation, licensing and governance obligations, and the sensible first step is a licence and consent-process audit against each decision.

Read more: for the full analysis, read our companion blog article: 'Kuwait Has Rewritten the Rules for Private Healthcare: What Operators Need to Do Now'.