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| Kuwait Medical Students Association (KuMSA) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image:KuMSA.jpeg | |||
| Location | Image:Kuwait location.jpeg | |||
| Participating cities (LC's) | Kuwait city | |||
| Languages | Arabic, English | |||
| Currency (how much is a Bigmac?) | Kuwait Dinar (big mac 1,150 KD) | |||
| Time zone | GMT+3 | |||
| Number of Doctors and beds per 1000 people | 400-500 | |||
| Member of IFMSA since... | 1982 | Number of incoming students per year | 30-35 | |
| Who are our NEO's | Oday E. Obaid | |||
| Our official website / Forum / Facebook group | http://www.kumsa-md.com | |||
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Contents |
Overview
The State of Kuwait (Dawlat al-Kuwayt) is a sovereign Arab nation situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Arabian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the Arabic "akwat", the plural of "kout", meaning fortress built near water. The Emirate covers an area of 17,820 square kilometers (6,880 sq mi) and has a population of about 3.6 million. Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government, with Kuwait City serving as the country's political and economic capital. The country has the world's fifth largest oil reserves and petroleum products now account for nearly 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income. Kuwait is the eleventh richest country in the world per capita. In 2007, it had the highest human development index (HDI) in the Arab world. Kuwait is classified as a high income economy by the World Bank and is designated as a major non-NATO ally of the United States.
Our health care system
Heath care is provided for free for all Kuwaities.Non kuwaities have to pay around 1-2 KD for primary health care in addition to health insurance. Exchange students do not have to get a health insurance. Our health care system is flexible for any medical emergencies.
The hospitals
There are five general hospitals in Kuwait: Sabah, Amiri, Mubarak, Farwaniya and Jahra. Also, many polyclinics are available in every residential area. Specialized hospitals such as chest hospital, Maternity hospital and Ibn Sina hospital for neurological diseases are present. The hospitals that are offered for exchange are Mubarak hospital and the specialized hospitals. Preferably, incoming students are placed in Mubarak Hospital, which is the University main hospital, where they can socialize with our medical students as well as using the university's facilities freely, such as the library, reading room, and cafeteria. Students attending certain departments, such as OBGYN, neurosurgery, or cardiothoracis surgery, are placed in tertiary care specialized centers, such as Maternity hospital, Ibin Sina hospital, and Chest hospital, respectively. This tertiary specialized area is only a few minutes walk from the dormitory. However, due to hot weather in summer, transportations are always arranged.
Our medical education
Medical Education in Kuwait is one of the best worlwide.It is clinically basedd where students get exposed to hospitals and patients in their second year. All specialties are offered to the students. Graduation is after 7 years of studies under the supervision of highly qualified academic and clinical staff. Students are often invited to our Vice-Dean Academic office to meet him and give him feedback on their academic experience. Mostly, our incoming students are placed in place where our own students are attending so that they can gain the maximum benefits from discussions and clinical sessions.
Local Cities (LC's)
Kuwait is a small country. Your four-weeks stay is enough to see every single street in it. We only have one local city as a part of our exchange program, Kuwait City, in which most of our hospitals are located. Other hospitals are maximum 30 minutes away. for more info, visit our LC page: http://www.kumsa-md.com/kumsa/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=660
Cultural differences
The influence of Islamic and Arab Culture on its architecture, music, attire, cuisine and lifestyle is prominent as well. The most distinctive characteristic of local Kuwaiti culture are diwaniya. Briefly, it involves large reception rooms used for male social gatherings attended mostly by family members and close friends. While, unlike neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the Islamic dress code is not compulsory, many of the older Kuwaiti men prefer wearing dish dasha, an ankle-length white shirt woven from wool or cotton while the minority of women wear abaya, black over-garment covering most parts of the body. This attire is particularly well-suited for Kuwait's hot and dry climate. Western style clothing is very popular among the youth of Kuwait. Seafood has been the mainstay of the Kuwaiti diet for centuries. Traditional Kuwaiti cuisine includes "Machboos diyay, machboos laham, maraq diyay laham" which borrows heavily from South Asian cuisine and Arabian cuisine. "Imawash" is another popular dish. As in other Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Kuwait takes part in the tradition of Qarqe'an during the month of Ramadan.
Accommodation & Boarding
Guys stay in Shuwaikh dormitory while girls stay in Keifan. Accommodation is free of charge.Students will either have their own room or share it with other student same thing with bathrooms. The dorms offer free wifi, laudnry and three meals a day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are given for free.
Social program
There is social program every 3 days. Most of them are on KuMSA's expenses (students dont pay for anything). We offer visits to Kuwait towers, museums, traditional resturant and flea market. Boat trips in the Gulf are often arranged. Sports activities are often arranged such as football, basketball, volleyball, bossaball, soap soccer, ... etc. In spring and winter seasons, Island trips can be arranged which shouldn't be missed! During their stays, it's a must that we arrange a fully cultural day for our students where they can live a normal Kuwaiti day and have Kuwaiti meals. Trips are sometimes made for places where students can see old Kuwaiti ships as a part of the Kuwaiti history, where lovely photos can be taken!
Local & National transportation
Pick up from airport will be offered regardless of the arrival time. Sudents will go from the dorm to the hospital and way back by buses free of charge. during the social program, the contact person picks up the students by his/her own car. On the days that have no social program, students can call a taxi that takes them every where in very low prices.
Weather
During June,July and August, the weather is hot but fortunatley air conditioner is present everyhwere. In October, the weather gets better and becomes cold in December and January. Best time to visit kuwait will be in February and March.
Social life
Young people in Kuwait spend their time with friends and family in many places including which shopping malls, cinema, cafes, restuarants and dewaniya (a place where men gather together in a special living area in someone's house) What makes the social program special is that people in Kuwait are extremely social and it's so easy for our incoming students to get along and get integrated into their lives.