Expats who suffer from cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and several other illnesses will no longer be able to obtain residencies in Kuwait, Al Watan newspaper reported.

The news comes after the country's Ministry of Health released a list of 22 illnesses that make people ineligible to apply for permanent residency status in the country.

Other illnesses featured on the list include renal failure, vision problems, squinting, and tens of others.

In her statement on the matter, Assistant Undersecretary for General Health Affairs in the country's Ministry of Health, Majida Al Qattan, confirmed the news, stating that it comes in line with a GCC council decision which dates back to 2001.

She also explained that the main aims behind the decision are to reduce the costs of expat health care on the country's government and ensure that expats arriving in the Gulf state are fit to work.