KUWAIT: The Court of Appeal yesterday upheld a Court of First Instance ruling which ordered the government to pay KD 100,000 to a bedoon (stateless) man who was not issued a birth certificate. The man had sued the Central Apparatus for Illegal Residents' Affairs, saying that he was deprived of his right to education because no school would accept him without a birth certificate; a necessary document for enrollment in any school in Kuwait, his lawyer Hani Hussein said.

Smokers fined

Director of Al-Sabah Specialized Medical Zone Dr Afrah Al-Sarraf announced coordinating with the Environment Public Authority (EPA) to launch an anti-smoking campaign in all hospitals and clinics there. Speaking during a press conference held at the sidelines of a ceremony organized by Al-Rashid Allergy Center to mark the World Asthma Day, Sarraf added that coordination would include having environmental police officers patrol hospitals and clinics in the area in order to track and fine smokers.

Sarraf added that the World Asthma Day is an event that is annually celebrated to raise awareness about asthma worldwide, in an attempt to limit the disease's dangers. She added that asthma is a chronic disease affecting a patient's lungs, adding that it affects both children and adults.

Meanwhile Al-Rashid Allergy Center's Director Dr Omar Al-Baron announced plans to expand the center's building and build new facilities such as a special lab for pollen and seasonal allergy assessment.

Baron also noted that the center is currently coordinating with four allergy centers from Spain, London, Canada and Germany to follow up with the latest and exchange expertise in this field. Further, Baron added that physiotherapy has a vital role in treating asthma and allergy once a patient's case was stable, as they would then be moved to physiotherapy departments to undergo some remedial physical exercises that would help a patient clear his/her chest of sputum.

In the meantime, head of Al-Rashid Center's physiotherapy department Dr Ibtisam Al-Saad stressed the significance of physiotherapy for asthma patients, noting that respiratory exercises help reduce breathing problems.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi