Dubai: The UAE plans to stop the spreading of infectious diseases in the county and will try to bar job-seekers from Asian countries infected with pulmonary Tuberculosis (TB) from working here, a health ministry official said on Tuesday.
Dr Mahmoud Fikri, assistant under-secretary for health policies in the Ministry said in a statement that in a particular year 21 per cent of Asians tested were found to be suffering from Tuberculosis.
His statement came after a federal announcement on Sunday that expatriate workers coming to work in the Emirates will have to get their medical tests done in their home countries.
Officials said this will bar many infected job-seekers, who are first treated at huge costs and then deported.
Second test
The workers, specially those from the sub-continent and other South-East Asian countries, will have to undergo a second medical test here to ensure the test results are not falsified.
"The new procedure comes as part of the efforts of the UAE to achieve health security and maintain public health safety," Fikri said in the statement.
New workers from Asia will also have to undergo medical tests for Hepatitis B and HIV/Aids. A significant number of people from India, Pakistan Bangladesh and the Philippines tested by the ministry in Dubai in one year were found to have contracted HIV/Aids.
Fikri said some expatriates arrive in Dubai with infectious disease and stay in the UAE for a month until their treatment is completed. He said some workers disappear and there is a danger they may spread the diseases.
Best methods
"The Ministry is currently coordinating with all health authorities in the UAE to arrange visits to the labour medical tests in Asian countries and be briefed of their accuracy and the best methods for transferring that information to the UAE health authorities immediately. The countries applying this system will be the Asian countries that have a great number of infectious diseases", he said, but did not name the countries.
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