Complaints about medical errors and professional violations, public or private, go to the Medical Responsibility Authority, which alone gives the technical opinion through committees of at least five members. It says a complaint takes between 100 and 250 days, and the committee works from the medical file.
The Medical Responsibility Authority
Law No. 70 of 2020 created the Medical Responsibility Authority, جهاز المسؤولية الطبية, an independent body with its own budget. It alone gives the technical opinion on complaints, reports and cases about medical errors and professional violations by practitioners, facility owners and directors, in the public and private sectors, and imposes the disciplinary penalties the law sets.1 Its committees have three specialist doctors, a lawyer, a medical school expert, an occupational health doctor and a forensic doctor, hear the patient and the practitioner, and report within ninety days.1
The timeline, from the Authority's own answers
| Stage | Time |
|---|---|
| Forming the investigation committee | 60 to 180 days |
| First committee's report | 90 days |
| Objection by either party | Within 15 days of the report |
| Objection committee and final report | 60 days |
| The whole complaint | 100 to 250 days |
A complaint is filed online with the patient's civil ID, proof of the link with the facility and a recent medical report showing the harm, and the Authority says it does not accept medical reports from private hospitals for this.2 Whether recordings or conversations count as evidence is for the committee to decide.2 Its president may suspend a practice licence for thirty days at a time, up to ninety, where the alleged violation is serious, dangerous or repeated.1
- Answer the patient first. Most concerns end with a clear explanation, a copy of the file and a named person to call.
- Secure the file. Hiding or destroying a medical file is a crime under Article 69, so lock the record as it stands.
- Pull the audit trail. Who saw the patient, what was written and signed, and when.
- Hand over what is requested. Committees may request any data or documents, and facilities must cooperate under Article 45.
- Act on the outcome. Facilities must carry out the Authority's decisions and penalties, under Article 50.
- Received on ______ From ______ (patient or legal representative)
- Concern ______
- Clinician ______ Date of care ______
- File locked on ______ Audit trail exported on ______
- Reply to patient on ______ By ______
- Referred to the Medical Responsibility Authority ______ (yes, no)
- Lessons and changes ______ Owner ______
Questions
Who can complain to the Medical Responsibility Authority?
The patient, a guardian, a legal agent, the heirs of a patient who died, or someone with a direct legal interest, according to the Authority's own answers.
Does a complaint need a lawyer?
No. The Authority says a complaint can be filed online with no lawyer and no visit in person.
Is a complication a medical error?
Not in itself. The Authority says a known complication is not an error where accepted practice was followed and the patient was told of the risk.
Sources
- 1Medical Responsibility Authority, Kuwait, 2020Law No. 70 of 2020 on the practice of medicine and its allied professions, patients' rights and health facilities, full Arabic textRead source
- 2Medical Responsibility Authority, Kuwait, 2026Frequently asked questions on complaintsRead source
- 3Medical Responsibility Authority, Kuwait, 2026About the Medical Responsibility AuthorityRead source
Written by the wai team from Kuwait's Ministry of Health guidance, checked on 16 October 2026. This is guidance, not legal advice. Kuwait MOH does not endorse wai or any software.