Qatar to open ‘authorised medical centres’ for residency procedures in eight countries this year

Completing medical procedures for a work visa to Qatar will become a lot more simpler by the end of the year.

This is because the country is keen to start centres for medical check-ups in the country of a worker’s origin before they even board the plane to Qatar.

People from eight countries will be able to make use of this facility by the end of the year, according to Abdulrahim Mohammed Al Mushiri, who is the Supervisor of the Medical Commission in Doha.

“The work in this regard is currently ongoing in eight source countries at the moment including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Tunisia. Under this arrangement, foreign workers can go for medical tests at selected hospitals or medical centres approved by Qatar in their home countries,” Al Mushiri told Qatar Tribune.

In its efforts to protect rights of expatriate workers, Qatar has made residency procedures easier for foreigners heading for jobs in the country. 

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) had signed an agreement with a Singapore-based Company in this regard in 2017.

Under the new system, those coming for work in Qatar can complete their medical checkup, record bio-metric data and fingerprint and sign work contracts in their home countries itself before coming to Qatar.

The move will help bring down the cases of rejection of expat workers on the grounds of being medically unfit. Currently, such cases stand at 3% of the total number of workers.

“The authorities concerned will take necessary actions against agencies which violate the instructions about the medical tests specified by Qatar,” Al Mushiri said.