Online system for pre-arrival medical checks
An online system is expected to be in place to receive results of the pre-arrival medical check-up for newly recruited foreign workers.
These test are mandatory for those from Asian and African countries.
The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) is working with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Foreign Ministry and the GCC Health Ministers Council to implement the unified online system linking the GCC countries with the authorised medical centres in 11 Asian and African countries.
All job-seekers from these countries are required to undergo check-up before leaving for Qatar.
In August 2011, the Cabinet approved a proposal to reintroduce medical tests and it has been fully or partially implemented since then.
Introduction of the online system is expected to speed up procedures and make the system fool-proof.
"Other GCC countries have already been using the online network for tests and we will also be using it very soon," Dr Ibrahim Al Shaar, Director of the Medical Commission said.
"Once the electronic network is in place, we will be able to receive test results online and visas for the new recruits will be issued based on that. We won’t have to wait for hard copies of the results," said Al Shaar.
There are more than 200 medical centres in 11 countries authorised by the GCC states to conduct tests.
These are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Syria and Eritrea.
The medical centres are electronically linked with a GCC database. Al Shaar said the online system will also help detect and prevent forgery in documents.
"We have come across such cases in some countries. The online system will allow us to verify documents by cross checking the barcode and the number in the electronic database."
The mandatory check-up aims at preventing the spread of infectious diseases in the country.
Candidates are required to undergo repeat tests at the Medical Commission after their arrival in Qatar.
Al Shaar recently disclosed that the commission had seen a drastic decline in the number of failures after the introduction of pre-arrival tests.
Every newcomer to Qatar is to be screened at the commission for diseases, including HIV/Aids, TB, hepatitis B and C. Source: The Peninsula | Image: Dan A'Vard on Flickr
