For private health facilities licensed in Kuwait, وزارة الصحة
Kuwait MOH clinic software, built to help you achieve a final facility licence.
wai runs booking, clinical notes, patient messaging in Arabic, English or any language, payments and records for Kuwait's private clinics, centres and hospitals, and keeps each of them as evidence a Ministry of Health inspector can read. Replies are drafted in the patient's language for your team to approve and notes are written during the consultation for the doctor to sign, so the files the Ministry may inspect at any time are complete.
What does Kuwait's Ministry of Health ask of a private facility in 2026?
Five areas, from the licence to the patient's rights, set by Law No. 70 of 2020 and Decision No. 36 of 2024.
Five areas the law and the licensing regulation cover, from the licence to the patient's rights. Open one for the rules behind it.1
01Facility licensingNo private health facility or branch may open without a licence from the Health Licensing Department. A six month initial licence comes first, and an inspection turns it into a final licence of up to five years.5 steps
Initial approval, applied for on the Ministry's website
An initial licence of six months, with 50% of the staff in post
Fire Force, Environment Public Authority and Municipality approvals within six months
An inspection within three months of the initial licence
A final licence of up to five years, renewed sixty days before expiry
02Inspection and auditThe Ministry may inspect any health facility at any time, with judicial police powers, and post-licence audit committees check that each facility still meets its licence.5 powers
Inspection at any time, under Article 64 of Law No. 70 of 2020
Entry to every part of the facility, its records and samples
Post-licence audit committees
Six months to correct a shortfall before referral
International accreditation for hospitals and day surgery and laboratory centres within four years
03Medical files and recordsEvery patient has one file, written or electronic, holding every procedure, result, treatment and device. Electronic records are kept indefinitely.5 rules
One file per patient, under Article 28
Prescriptions, reports and certificates named, timed, signed and copied to the file
A patient register and database, written or electronic
Paper replaceable by electronic copies after five years
04Patients' rights and consentPatients have the right to know their condition, options, costs and care team, to consent or refuse, to a copy of their file and to an interpreter at the facility's expense.5 rights
Informed consent, Articles 10 to 12
Confidentiality, Article 13
A file and reports on request, Article 28
Refusal and withdrawal at any time, Article 30
Costs, care team, plan and interpretation, Article 33
05Medical responsibility and AIThe Medical Responsibility Authority alone judges medical errors and professional violations, public or private. The Ministry's 2026 guide keeps every AI draft under a responsible professional.4 instruments
The Medical Responsibility Authority, Articles 36 to 54
Penalties for facilities, Article 75
Remote care and AI permitted, with Ministry conditions, Article 24
Administrative Decision No. 6189 of 2026 on AI language tools
Six areas Law No. 70 of 2020 and Decision No. 36 of 2024 name.2
01
Licences
The facility licence displayed, and every practitioner's licence held, visitors included.
02
Patient files
One complete file per patient, prescriptions and reports signed and copied to it.
03
Devices
Licences for regulated equipment, and the operators' training certificates.
04
Prices
A price list approved by the Health Licensing Department, and charges that match it.
05
Premises
Infection control, fire safety, safe disposal of medical waste and first aid.
06
Insurance
Building and equipment risks covering patients, companions, staff and visitors.
How does a Kuwait MOH inspection end?
The Ministry licenses rather than rates. The first inspection ends in one of three decisions, and violations carry the penalties in Article 75.3
Final licenceConditions met, up to five years
New inspection dateObservations to close first
Cancelled or suspendedSerious violations
Initial licenceSix months, renewable once
60 days
for the Health Licensing Department to decide an application, after which silence counts as a refusal.4
5 years
is the longest a final private facility licence runs before it must be renewed.4
6 months
to correct a shortfall against the licence before the matter goes to the Medical Responsibility Authority.4
The initial licence needs the medical equipment and at least 50% of the required staff, and must become final within a year.
Renewal is applied for at least sixty days before expiry, and a late application pays double the renewal fee.
A licence is cancelled for subletting, false information, a move without a licence, six months without operating, or six months after expiry without renewal.
No licence is issued, renewed or transferred while the facility is under investigation, and each request carries a Medical Responsibility Authority certificate of no penalty.
What has changed for Kuwait's private facilities?
Four things a Kuwait facility should know in October 2026.
Ministerial Decision No. 36 of 2024 replaced Decision No. 349 of 2023 as the licensing regulation for private health facilities, and added a chapter for private clinics and a three month grace period with a temporary licence after expiry.
Private hospitals, and centres offering day surgery or laboratories, must hold an international healthcare quality accreditation within four years, with one more year possible on the department's approval, under Article 20 of Decision No. 36 of 2024.4
Administrative Decision No. 6189 of 2026 adopted a practical guide to AI language tools for staff of the Ministry's own facilities. It keeps the professional responsible, bars patient identifiers from unapproved tools, and lets no AI text into the medical record unread.
Article 86 of Law No. 70 of 2020 asked for an executive regulation within a year. The Authority's index of Ministry decisions lists none for the law itself in October 2026, so the detail sits in decisions such as No. 36 of 2024.
The Medical Responsibility Authority
The independent body that judges medical errors and professional violations in Kuwait, beside the Ministry's licensing.
Law No. 70 of 2020 created the Medical Responsibility Authority with its own legal personality and budget, and an Amiri decree appointed its president and deputy on 22 February 2022.5
It alone gives the technical opinion on complaints and cases about medical errors and professional violations by practitioners, facility owners and directors, in the public and private sectors.
Its committees hear the patient and the practitioner, may request any data from any facility, and report within ninety days, with fifteen days for either side to object.
Its president may suspend a practice licence for thirty days at a time, up to ninety, while a serious, dangerous or repeated violation is decided.
Kuwait MOH in Arabic
The Arabic names of the bodies and terms on this page.
إدارة التراخيص الصحية, the Health Licensing Department.
جهاز المسؤولية الطبية, the Medical Responsibility Authority.
المنشأة الصحية الأهلية, a private health facility.
الترخيص الأولي والترخيص النهائي, the initial licence and the final licence.
مدير المنشأة الصحية, the facility's medical director.
الموافقة المستنيرة, informed consent.
What should clinic software in Kuwait actually run?
Each module runs part of the facility and records the evidence for the requirements listed beside it.
01
Appointments and booking
Online booking from your own website, every clinician's diary read from their calendar, reminders, rebooking after a missed visit and waitlist offers when a slot opens.
Online booking at any hour, with a reminder before the visit.
For the business
Fewer missed appointments, and cancelled slots offered to the waitlist.
On the record
Every booking, reminder and change, with a time and a name.
02
Billing and payments
Card payments into your own Stripe account, the cancellation policy shown at booking, invoices, statements and reconciliation, with an export for your accountant.
A clear price and policy before they commit, and an invoice in their app.
For the business
Payments reconciled against visits, with an export for your accountant.
On the record
What was charged, when, against which visit, and the policy the patient saw.
03
AI scribe and clinical notes
The note, letters and referrals written from the consultation, cited to published clinical guidelines, with the transcript beside the note, for the clinician to read, edit and sign.
The clinician's attention stays on them during the consultation.
For the business
Less time spent writing notes after clinic.
On the record
A contemporaneous note, signed, with the time, the signature and the source it cites.
04
Follow-ups and patient messaging
WhatsApp, email and calls in one thread per patient, replies drafted in the patient's own language for your team to approve, a response clock on every new enquiry, and recalls a clinician approves.
A reply in the language they wrote in, approved by your team.
For the business
More enquiries answered within the hour, when they are most likely to book.
On the record
The whole conversation on one record, with response times.
05
Referrals, consent and audit trails
Recording consent taken at booking, referrals written from the visit, patient flags for controlled drugs and safeguarding notes, and every read of a record logged against a named account.
How does wai evidence each Kuwait MOH requirement?
For each requirement, the records wai keeps, how you produce them, and what changes for patients and the business.
Facility licensing
Systems running before the licence inspection.
Online booking, reminders and waitlist offers live from the first day
Named accounts for every person, with role-based access
The price and cancellation policy shown at booking
Records hosted in Kuwait, under Kuwait's rules
On request. Show the systems an inspector asks about, running on real patients.
For patients
A facility that works properly from the first visit.
For the business
An initial licence made final at the first inspection.
Inspection and audit
Complete files, whenever the Ministry arrives.
Notes written from the consultation, signed and timed
The consent discussion recorded in the signed note
Every read and change of a record logged against a named account
Reports for any period, produced on the day
On request. Asked for any file, open it with the note, consent, results and history together.
For patients
Their care recorded properly, every visit.
For the business
No scramble when a committee arrives unannounced.
Medical files and records
One record, signed and kept.
One patient identity behind every visit
The transcript beside every note
The patient's own record exportable on request
Records hosted in Kuwait, encrypted
On request. Show any file, and who read it.
For patients
A copy of their record when they ask for it.
For the business
No lost files, and no second system to search.
Patients' rights and consent
Every right met before the patient asks.
Replies drafted in the patient's own language for your team to approve
A clear price and policy before the patient commits
Consent discussed and recorded in the signed note
Every read of a record logged against a named account
On request. Show what the patient was told, in which language, and when.
For patients
Answers in their own language, and no surprise on the bill.
For the business
Patients who come back and recommend the clinic.
Medical responsibility and AI
AI drafts, and a licensed clinician reviews and signs.
Notes drafted for the clinician to read, edit and sign
Replies drafted for a person to approve, never sent unread
Named accounts, so every action sits under a licensed name
An audit trail any review can start from
On request. Show who wrote, approved and signed each note and message.
For patients
A doctor whose attention stays on them.
For the business
Hours of writing handed back to clinicians every week.
What do patients and the business gain?
Published research on response times, ambient scribes and appointment reminders.
7x
An enquiry answered within the hour is nearly seven times as likely to become a real conversation.7
30%
Clinicians using an ambient scribe did 30% less work after hours.8
23%
Patients sent a notification before their visit were 23% more likely to attend.9
How does wai surface Kuwait MOH evidence on request?
What may be asked for, where it is kept in wai, and how it is produced.
Asked forWhere it livesHow it is produced
Patient filesThe patient record, beside the transcriptOpen the consultation to see the note, transcript, signature and time together.
ConsentThe signed noteThe consent discussion in the note, and the recording notice the patient saw at booking.
Prices chargedPaymentsWhat was charged, when, against which visit, and the policy the patient saw.
Audit trailsEvery recordWho read or changed it, under which account, to the minute.
Staff accessAccounts and rolesWho holds which role, and every action taken under it.
Patient communicationThe patient's threadEvery message, in Arabic, English or any language, with response times.
Copies for patientsReportingThe patient's own record exported on the day it is asked for.
Monthly reviewReportsFront desk, response, takings and website reports for any period.
How do you prepare for a Kuwait MOH inspection?
A readiness checklist in four parts.
01The licence
Facility licence current, displayed, and renewed at least sixty days before expiry.
A medical director approved by the Ministry, resident at least nine months a year.
Every practitioner, visitors included, licensed and their licence kept on file.
Fire, environment and municipality approvals current.
02Premises and equipment
Infection control, sterilisation and medical waste contract in place.
Device licences and operators' training certificates on file.
Building and equipment insurance covering patients, companions, staff and visitors.
Malpractice insurance for every practitioner, paid by the facility.
03Patient files
Five files a reviewer could read cold, complete, signed and timed.
Consent explained and recorded at the age the law sets.
Prescriptions, reports and certificates copied to the file.
Copies given to patients on written request.
04Prices and patients
Price list approved by the Health Licensing Department, and charges that match it.
Patients told the approximate cost and what their insurer pays.
Interpretation arranged at the facility's expense where needed.
Advertisements and social media checked against Ministry standards.
What will a Kuwait MOH inspector ask you?
Questions to expect, what to show, and where wai holds the answer.
01Show me this patient's file.
What to show
A complete file, signed and timed.
Where wai has it ready
Notes are written during the visit and signed with a time, and an amended note is signed again.
02How was consent taken for this procedure?
What to show
What the patient was told, when they agreed, and who took it.
Where wai has it ready
The consent discussion is in the signed note, with the transcript beside it.
03Is everyone working today licensed?
What to show
Every practice licence, visitors included.
Where wai has it ready
Named accounts and roles show who worked, and every action taken under each account.
04What did this patient pay, and is it on your approved list?
What to show
The charge, and the approved price list.
Where wai has it ready
Payments show what was charged, when and against which visit, and the policy the patient saw.
05Who has read this record?
What to show
An access log, by name and time.
Where wai has it ready
Every read and change of a record is logged against a named account.
06How do you use AI in care?
What to show
Where AI is used, and who decides.
Where wai has it ready
AI drafts the note and the reply. The clinician signs, and a person approves every message.
What is at stake in a Kuwait MOH licence?
The licence is the facility. Law No. 70 of 2020 sets prison terms and fines for running without one, and closure for a facility that breaks its conditions.
KWD 10,000
and up to five years in prison for running a private health facility without a licence, or hiding or destroying a medical file.6
KWD 5,000
is the highest disciplinary fine for a facility's licence holder or director, beside closure for up to a year or cancellation.6
1 year
must pass after a final closure before the same person may apply to open a facility again.6
What is the best clinic software for Kuwait MOH licensing?
The best software for a Kuwait licence is the system your facility already runs on, so the evidence is a by-product of the work. Look for one record behind booking, notes, messaging in Arabic and English, payments and access, a full audit trail and records hosted in Kuwait. wai is built that way, to help you achieve a final MOH facility licence.
Is there Kuwait MOH approved clinic software?
Kuwait's Ministry of Health licenses private health facilities and the professionals who work in them. It does not approve, certify or endorse software, wai included, and software cannot earn a licence on a provider's behalf. wai keeps the records your team uses to show Kuwait MOH how care is delivered, and Kuwait MOH decides the licence.
Which law governs private health facilities in Kuwait?
Law No. 70 of 2020 on the practice of medicine and its allied professions, patients' rights and health facilities, with Ministerial Decision No. 36 of 2024 setting the licensing requirements. The law repealed Decree-Law No. 25 of 1981 and Law No. 49 of 1960.
Who can own a private clinic in Kuwait?
A private clinic or polyclinic is licensed only to one or more licensed Kuwaiti doctors, each holding one at most. Hospitals and health centres may be licensed to a company with a licensed Kuwaiti practitioner as owner or partner.
How often does the Kuwait MOH inspect?
The law sets no schedule. Article 64 lets the Ministry inspect any facility at any time, and the first inspection falls within three months of the initial licence.
Who handles complaints about a private clinic in Kuwait?
The Medical Responsibility Authority, an independent government body that alone gives the technical opinion on medical errors and professional violations, public and private. It says a complaint takes 100 to 250 days.
Does a Kuwait hospital need international accreditation?
Private hospitals, and centres offering day surgery or laboratories, must obtain an international healthcare quality accreditation within four years under Decision No. 36 of 2024. The decision names no single accreditor.
Does wai work in Arabic?
Yes. wai drafts replies in the language the patient writes in, Arabic, English or any other, for your team to approve, and answers intake questions by voice in any language.
Where does wai keep our records?
In its own country, under that country's rules, so a Kuwait facility's records are hosted in Kuwait, encrypted, with a full audit log. We set this up with you before go-live.
Fifteen minutes on video, with an Arabic enquiry answered and a note signed, on your own facility's records. Built to help you achieve a final MOH facility licence. wai hosts each clinic's records in its own country, under that country's rules. We set this up with you before go-live.
