Health checks for employees

EMPLOYEES at facilities that involve public interaction will undergo periodic mandatory health check-ups from tomorrow.

The biennial requirement is aimed at limiting the spread of infectious diseases and ensuring the safety of citizens, residents and workers at these facilities, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

The GDN previously reported that employees coming under the measure include those working in salons, barber shops, massage parlours, hotels and resorts as well as those in the fields of sales, circulation, manufacture and packing of food in public and private entertainment venues, stores, bakeries and other places of food processing, preparation and sale.

Mandatory periodic medical check-ups for workers in industrial and commercial establishments will commence from August 1, said Health Ministry public health assistant under-secretary Dr Maryam Al Hajeri.

“This decision reflects the government’s commitment to promote public health while also limiting the chances of the spread of infectious diseases in society.”

The Health Ministry will co-ordinate with government agencies as well as the private sector and owners of industrial and commercial stores to implement the decision.

Public Health Department director Dr Najat Abul-Fath said the move is in accordance with a ministerial edict.

“It obliges employers to conduct periodic medical examination of workers every two years to ensure they are free of infectious diseases,” she said in a statement.

“Workers will be given certificates from the administrative authority concerned proving that they are free of communicable diseases after conducting the medical test and paying the prescribed fees.

“The worker may not be allowed to work if the certificate has expired, unless a new one is obtained.

“If an employer suspects that a worker has an infectious disease, the authority concerned must be informed and the employee must stop working until the necessary protocol is carried forward.”

The Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) has developed a system on the national e-portal, bahrain.bh, for ‘periodic medical examination services’.

Employers can book appointments, reschedule and even view the ‘expats’ fitness report’ through the portal.

iGA electronic transformation deputy chief executive Dr Zakareya Al Khaja earlier said the system contributes to control mechanisms related to public health, especially in light of the pandemic.

“The service is able to determine the nature of professions to which the decision applies and additional medical examinations, if needed, through the integration of data with the relevant authority,” added the official statement from the Health Ministry.

Source: https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/962692/Health-checks-for-employees