LABUAN, Dec 29 — The influx of foreign workers is among the major reason for the spread of tuberculosis (TB) in the country.
Based on statistics, about 18,000 cases had been reported in 2010 and the figure rose to 20,000 in 2011 with 1,600 fatalities recorded.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Hilmi Yahaya said efforts to monitor the spread of the disease had been enhanced with the foreign workers wishing to work in this country being required to undergo health screening.
He said that out of 30,000 foreign workers who had been brought into the country, 20,000 had failed the health screening carried out by his ministry.
“Foreign workers wishing to work in this country must undergo two health screenings, one in the country of their origin and the other in Malaysia, before they were issued with the working visa here,” he told reporters after a one-day working visit to Labuan, today.
Dr Hilmi also said that there were foreign workers who had passed the health screening carried out in the country of their origin but failed the test here. Most of these workers were from Indonesia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and the Philippines.
He said foreign workers who failed the health screening here would be repatriated home. — Bernama
