+ A
A -
Santhosh Chandran
DOHA
The process that will make it possible to complete the residency procedures such as medical check-up of expatriate workers in their home countries before they come to Qatar will be completed by the end of this year.
This was revealed by Supervisor of the Medical Commission in Doha Abdulrahim Mohammed al Mushiri at an Indian community press conference in Doha on Wednesday.
"The work in this regard in eight source countries ” India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Tunisia is in process. Under this arrangement, foreign workers can go for medical tests at selected hospitals or medical centres approved by Qatar in their home countries," Mushiri told Qatar Tribune.
In its effort to protect the 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 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 country 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 percent of the total number of workers.
"The authorities concerned will take necessary actions against the agencies which violate the instructions about the medical tests specified by Qatar," Mushiri said.
He said the number of expatriates who approach for medical tests at the Medical Commission and its authorised centres has increased by 10 percent in the last couple of months.
"At present, the Medical Commission and its associate agencies are conducting 3,500 to 4,000 medical tests every day. These tests for workers also involve those working in specific areas such as hotels and saloons and need annual medical check-up."
Mushiri urged the expatriate workers to contact Medical Commission or its website for the results of medical tests required for residence permit.
"Medical Commission is equipped to provide the results of medical tests in 24 hours. If they didn't get the SMS regarding the test through mobile phones due to some technical reasons, they should contact Medical Commission after 24 hours," Mushiri added.
