JEDDAH, 25 March 2005 — Non-Saudi residents will be tested for HIV/AIDS when they renew their Iqama through the passport administration to make sure they are not infected with AIDS.
According to Deputy Assistant for Preventive Medicine at the Ministry of Health, Yacoub Al-Mazroo, the ministry also intends to examine foreign workers resident in the Kingdom from countries with a high rate of AIDS, especially from Asia and Africa.
The ministry is coordinating with relevant authorities to guarantee preventing the spread of the disease out of concern for our citizens and our country,” said Dr. Mazroo. He added that the medical check-up would cover all foreigners arriving to work in the Kingdom in addition to prisoners and any suspected cases.
Al-Mazroo said that many AIDS cases of foreigners were discovered after they arrived in the Kingdom, adding that there are few AIDS cases in Saudi Arabia..
Dr. Sana Filimban, coordinator of the National Program for Eradicating AIDS and manager of King Saud Hospital for treating contagious and transmitted diseases, said that this procedure has been standard for a very long time for newly arriving foreign workers and those renewing their Iqama.
“This was re-emphasized by the governors of each province and by the Ministry of Health that all arriving foreign workers especially from countries with high rates of AIDS be tested,” she told Arab News.
This does not apply to those arriving for Haj, Umrah or visiting. Foreigners can have the test done at any health care facility permitted to perform the test and issue a health report.
Positive and suspected cases of the coded samples are then sent to an assigned health facility — in Jeddah that would be King Fahd Hospital — which would confirm the final test result of the sample and send it to the National Program.
The coordinators at the National Program for Eradicating AIDS then inform the private institute employing the individual and the relevant government officials.
“That individual would not be issued an iqama or his iqama would not be renewed,” said Dr. Sana. Such patients would be deported at the expense of the private institute sponsoring them and while they are waiting for deportation they would be provided with appropriate medical care, according to Dr. Sana.
“Those who have been in the country for a very long time, whether they have contracted the virus from inside the Kingdom or outside, it would be taken into consideration their long years of service here and they would be treated like Saudis and receive medical care in our health facilities,” said Dr. Sana.
