Chief-in-Editor Prof. Badria A. Al-Awadi
Health care for citizens finds its basis in constitutions in the first place as it is one of the basic tasks entrusted to the state, then come legislation, laws and regulations to put these constitutional principles and basic tasks into practice. From here emerge the rules and infrastructure for building health systems and devices, and then the health sector features are formed through the implementation of laws, the application of regulations and the provision of budgets and the necessary human cadres that include administrators, doctors, nurses in various specialties and other workers in the support sectors.
Like the rest of the legislation that is pre-established and foundational, but includes consideration and regulation of emergency situations, the Kuwaiti health laws at all levels formed an effective and influential framework for organizing the response and dealing with the repercussions of the Corona pandemic that appeared suddenly, then grew and escalated in an unprecedented and wide way, which created Strong pressures on the health sector in its various aspects, and raised legal problems and aspects about performance and the responsibility of the state and doctors in treatment, and then vaccination and its optional or compulsory nature, and its limits for different age groups and social sectors, in addition to legal, , administrative, and censorship controls over governmental and administrative procedures related to the supply of masks, medicines, treatments, vaccinations and other medical supplies.
Now that the pandemic crisis has begun to decline gradually in many countries, including the State of Kuwait, where the number of injuries has receded into the tens digits, and the number of deaths has fallen to the ones digits, and even to the absence for many days, which confirms the success of the various state agencies, especially the health sector, in confronting the epidemic and saving lives, which certainly deserves appreciation and praise.
After that, the need appears urgent to review health laws and regulations in a way that shows what was ambiguous and limited with regard to the powers of the executive and health authorities, in closure, coercion, vaccination and others, as well as the role of the legislative, judicial and supervisory authorities, some of which were bypassed or ignored during the crisis, which is a matter if Understanding due to the sudden and exceptional nature of the crisis, but now it needs legal and legislative regulation, control, and clarification.
The Corona pandemic also revealed a crisis in international health laws, as the international and regional health systems failed to activate the laws and agreements signed in this field decades ago.
Moreover, the major countries also turned back on themselves, and did not care about the poor and weak countries in Africa, Asia and others, which calls for urgent and rapid review to ensure that what happened is not repeated.
As much as the circumstances were related to a health crisis and legal and administrative imbalances, they also revealed a crisis in human values, morals, and solidarity, which in turn calls for review and reflection on the causes. Humanity has risen after all crises and disasters to remember and affirm common human values, and achieve them through laws, regulations, agreements, treaties, and others, which are necessary at this stage, especially since poor and marginalized countries and groups are still suffering and may continue to suffer for a long time.