Medical Disposables Supplier for Kuwait

Kuwait at a glance

Medical device regulator

Ministry of Health, Drug and Food Control Administration (Ministerial Decree No. 13 of 2022 on registration and release of medical devices)

Registration holder

A local representative appointed by the manufacturer; devices fall into four risk categories

Public-sector buying

Ministry of Health hospitals under the Public Tenders Law, amended by Law No. 94 of 2026

Main sea entry

Shuwaikh Port (main commercial port) and Shuaiba Port (industrial)

Public hospitals

28 government general and specialised hospitals; beds planned to rise from 8,757 to 12,230

Customs

GCC 5% common external tariff on most goods, with Kuwaiti exceptions that include some medical items

Ships from

India, or our warehouse in Ras Al Khor, Dubai

Registration and release under Decree 13/2022

Kuwait's Ministry of Health issued Ministerial Decree No. 13 of 2022 on the registration and release of medical devices. It applies to any product that meets the medical-device definition and sorts devices into four risk categories according to how they are used and their impact on users. The Ministry's Drug and Food Control Administration is the contact point.

A foreign manufacturer appoints a local representative, and the registration belongs to that representative. Changing representative requires legalised appointment and termination letters and a Ministry of Health store licence for the new agent, so the choice of Kuwaiti partner is a long-term one. The decree covers both registration and the release of shipments. We supply the product documentation your representative files and keep it consistent between orders.

Public tenders changed in September 2026

Law No. 94 of 2026, published in the Official Gazette on 27 September 2026, amends the Public Tenders Law No. 49 of 2016. As summarised by Al Tamimi & Co, it raises the value government entities can buy directly without approval from the Central Agency for Public Tenders to KD 1,000,000 a year (from KD 75,000), prohibits the use of local agents or commission-based agents in public contracting procedures, requires contractors to source 30% of products from Kuwait's Industrial Guide, and gives SMEs a 10% price preference. The law takes effect three months after publication.

For disposables, the higher ceiling allows more purchases to be made directly without Central Agency approval, and the agent prohibition changes how foreign products can be offered to public bodies. Suppliers to government hospitals should take legal advice on how their bidding structure is affected before the law takes effect.

Hospitals, population and ports

The Ministry of Health owns, runs, regulates and funds most of Kuwait's healthcare. The government operates 28 general and specialised hospitals and plans to grow bed capacity from 8,757 to 12,230. Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital, opened in December 2018, has 1,168 beds and 36 operating rooms. Kuwait's population was 5,098,539 at 30 June 2025, about 69.6% of it expatriate, according to the Public Authority for Civil Information.

The Kuwait Ports Authority describes Shuwaikh as Kuwait's main commercial port and Shuaiba as its primary industrial port. Kuwait applies the GCC 5% common external tariff to most imported goods, with national exceptions that include some agricultural, medical and pharmaceutical items; your customs broker can confirm whether any of the disposables you order qualify.