1962:  Kuwait Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah signed an agreement with British Petroleum and Gulf Kuwait regarding proceeds and income tax on natural gas and LPG.

1974:  Ministry of Social Affairs announced the establishment of the Kuwait Sport Club for the Deaf.

1995: The announcement of discovery to huge oil reserves in Kar’a Al-Marou, west of Kuwait, estimated at 350 million barrels.

2002: Kuwait Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah signed a decree to establish the citizens’ services authority, which was responsible for assessing performance of government departments and addressing shortcomings.

2003:  The Abdulmohsen Al-Kharafi Dyslexia Center opened at the Physical Therapy Hospital, the first of its kind in Muslim countries.

2019:  The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) signed a KD 26-million loan agreement with Egypt to finance a major road in Sharm Al-Sheikh, part of development plans for the Sinai Peninsula.

2020: Kuwaiti jet skier Yousef Al-Abdulrazzaq won the International Motorboating Union’s (UIM) 2020 (GP1) and (Slalom) divisions’ world championships held in Kuwait. The rest of the races were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2024:  Former Minister of Commerce and Minister of Health Abdullah Al-Taweel passed away at the age of 80. — KUNA   

KUWAIT: Minister of Health Dr Ahmad Al-Awadhi affirmed that medical laboratories form a cornerstone of the healthcare system, playing a vital role in diagnosis, treatment, prevention and improving service efficiency. He said the ministry places strong emphasis on developing this sector by enhancing both its human resources and technical capacity in line with the latest international standards.

His remarks came in a speech delivered Monday at the opening of the 7th Medical Laboratories Conference, organized by the Council of Medical Laboratories Departments and the Medical Laboratory Services Department at the Ministry of Health under the theme “Developments in Diagnostic Hematology and Precision Medicine – Future Trends in Diagnostic Laboratories.” Al-Awadhi said the conference serves as a scientific platform bringing together specialists and experts from inside and outside Kuwait to exchange experience, strengthen research cooperation and help improve the quality of health services.

He noted the ministry is working to expand laboratory services across all health facilities and develop them both quantitatively and qualitatively by appointing qualified technical staff, equipping laboratories with advanced systems and technologies, and applying the highest quality standards locally and internationally. This approach, he said, ensures accurate and reliable results that improve diagnostic efficiency and speed up treatment. The minister highlighted the essential role of blood bank laboratories in ensuring safe transfusions and providing units of all blood types. He stressed these laboratories serve as a first line of defense in early detection of complex diseases, contributing to higher treatment success rates and reducing long-term complications and costs.

Minister of Health Dr Ahmed Al-Awadi inaugurates the 7th Medical Laboratories Conference.- KUNA photos

He further underlined the preventive importance of services such as premarital testing, which help protect future generations by identifying genetic and infectious diseases and ensuring health compatibility between couples, thus supporting stronger, healthier families and a more informed society. Al-Awadhi said the progress achieved in this field reflects the ministry’s vision to establish advanced, safe healthcare foundations and adopt a comprehensive development approach to build a modern laboratory system that keeps pace with future trends.

For her part, head of the conference organizing committee Dr Ibtisam Juma said the conference represents a strategic platform that promotes integration between scientific research and clinical practice, while highlighting the leading role of laboratory medicine in shaping the future of healthcare. She described the event as a qualitative step toward building scientific partnerships and exchanging expertise to empower national competencies and develop health services in accordance with top international standards. Juma noted that discussions will also address the ethical dimensions of personalized healthcare amid rapid technological advances.

Thirteen speakers from outside Kuwait are participating, representing experts from the GCC, Arab and European countries — a reflection of the conference’s international character and scientific breadth. Juma said the agenda covers pivotal topics, including developments in hematology and oncology, artificial intelligence applications in laboratory diagnostics, predictive biomarkers and transfusion medicine. She noted that hematology laboratories in Kuwait include 67 doctors, among them 13 consultants who oversee performance quality and result accuracy. Since the start of 2025, hematology labs have received more than three million samples, conducting over seven million tests — a figure that reflects both the workload and operational efficiency of the country’s laboratory network, she said. She added that the adoption of the latest technological systems has significantly reduced human error, improved service quality and enhanced result accuracy, enabling physicians to make critical clinical decisions promptly. Juma pointed out that infrastructure has expanded notably through the rehabilitation of existing labs and the opening of new facilities in line with population growth and geographic development across all governorates. — KUNA

Hematology laboratories currently serve seven public hospitals and specialized centers in all six governorates, in addition to primary healthcare centers, ensuring nationwide coverage and fast, accurate diagnostic services for citizens and residents. She stressed the achievements in laboratory services embody the ministry’s commitment to an ambitious vision focused on improving healthcare quality, embracing innovation, promoting a culture of excellence and creating a pioneering model for modern laboratory medicine. – KUNA

By Syed Eshaan Ul-Haque

KUWAIT: Summers in Kuwait are becoming increasingly challenging for active residents, especially the youth. Rising temperatures, coupled with urban heat islands, are changing the way young people participate in outdoor activities, including both recreation and daily routines. Playgrounds that were once packed with children sit abandoned during the hottest hours, while families stay indoors relying on the cool air conditioner’s breeze to protect themselves from the heat.

According to recent climate data from the Kuwait Meteorological Department, the average summer temperatures in Kuwait have risen by nearly 2 degrees Celsius over the past 30 years, with the number of days it reaches over 45 degrees Celsius still increasing.

Kuwait’s nights tend to feel hotter than its days, researchers found. According to a 2020 study on urban heat and cool islands in Kuwait, some urban areas actually stay cooler than their arid undeveloped surroundings during the day — a phenomenon known as the daytime urban cool island. Experts say this could be due to factors such as moist soil in urban areas and the cooling effect of the Arabian Gulf, which help lower surface temperatures even during peak summer heat.

But once the sun sets, the situation flips. At night, Kuwait’s urban areas tend to stay warmer than nearby rural regions, creating what scientists call a nighttime urban heat island. The reason lies in the city’s manmade surfaces. Dark asphalt, concrete and rooftops soak up the sun’s energy during the day and slowly release it after dark. Add to that the heat from cars, air conditioners and fuel burning.

The constant heat can be very uncomfortable for the youth and can restrict them from doing their desired outdoor activities, especially during the summer. Hot temperatures also persist from May to November, making it difficult to enjoy the outdoors during the holiday and when school starts.

“In such dense heat, walking back home from school serves as a chore. I don’t think I’ve gone out, except to coffee shops, in these past few months,” says 17-year-old Sameeha Haque. “We all have increasingly started to fear the risks of extreme heat; it’s almost unbearable to walk under the sun, let alone play in the park.” Haque further explains she hasn’t been able to walk outside without worrying about sunburn and dehydration.

The effects of extreme heat have extended beyond mere discomfort, with physiological and cardiovascular health increasingly at risk, according to a 2024 study titled Impact of Extreme Heat on Cardiovascular Health in Kuwait: Present and Future Projections.

Experts have long highlighted the importance of outdoor play in natural environments for children’s learning and development. A 2024 study published in the Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health emphasizes that engaging in outdoor activities offers tangible advantages for physical health, including enhanced cardiovascular fitness, refined motor skills and increased synthesis of Vitamin D. “Nothing will truly beat the joy of a swing in the park with the warm air running through your body,” Haque reflects. “Although that vision seems to be fleeting now.”

The hot weather is more than a seasonal inconvenience. In a 2023 paper titled Extreme Heat and Work Injuries in Kuwait’s Hot Summers, researchers have identified it as a growing public and social health issue.

With record-breaking temperatures becoming an annual occurrence, the experiences of the younger generation must be at the forefront of planning and policy designs to ensure that future generations can enjoy the sun safely.