By B Izzak

KUWAIT: Head of Kuwait Nursing Association Bandar Al-Enezi said yesterday that a Filipina nurse died of coronavirus and accused the health ministry of negligence to save her life. He also said that as many as 90 nurses have been infected with the disease. Meanwhile, the National Assembly's health and labor committee is scheduled to hold a meeting this week with health ministry officials to discuss a report submitted by a Chinese medical team on the coronavirus situation, the committee's rapporteur MP Saadoun Hammad said.

"It is unfortunate that members of the nursing staff die in this brutal way" Enezi tweeted yesterday morning. He said he has asked the health ministry undersecretary to launch a comprehensive investigation into all sides responsible for this potential negligence, and called for sacking those proven responsible or sending them to court.

The official charged that there had been negligence towards the deceased by her seniors, saying that she was asked to stay at the nurses' residence for three days, although she was known to have contracted the disease. He said the preventive health department, head of Sabah medical area nursing and the area's ambulance service knew about her condition, but she still stayed for three days at the nurses' residence.

Enezi said that they told her "when you have severe symptoms, call the ambulance", but her condition deteriorated and her pulse stopped. Three of her colleagues tried to save her life; she was then taken to hospital, where she died. He said that one of three nurses who helped her has been admitted to the intensive care unit after she was confirmed to have contracted the disease, while the other two were asked to isolate themselves. Enezi also said in press statements that as many as 90 nurses have contracted the disease and called for additional measures to protect those on the frontline.

Meanwhile, MP Mohammad Hayef criticized a ministry decision to send a number of coronavirus patients to various hospitals apparently because Jaber Hospital is full. The lawmaker said that although the patients are given private rooms, there is a high risk that they may spread the disease to other patients.

MP Hammad said the Assembly's health panel meeting will include discussions with the health minister and senior health officials about the latest developments in fighting the coronavirus. He said the meeting will discuss a report prepared by a Chinese medical team in the country to assess the situation and make recommendations. Hammad said the committee will also discuss why there has been a rise in the number of infections among health personnel, and the ministry should benefit from Chinese expertise in this respect.

The Assembly's legal and legislative committee was scheduled to discuss later yesterday amendments to the labor law in the private sector to increase penalties against employers who recruit expat workers and fail to provide them promised jobs. The amendments also propose to penalize employers who provide jobs to workers not under their sponsorship.