About

Expatriates Check-up Program

The rapid pace of development and change witnessed by GCC countries over the last decades has created significant demands for manpower from other countries to support economic growth, development and construction in the region. It has therefore been particularly important for GCC countries to take appropriate actions to examine the expatriates in their home countries for compatibility between their health fitness and the nature of the work they were seeking in the GCC.

The processes developed have helped to ensure that expatriates are free from diseases – in particular infectious diseases – or other diseases that may not only threaten the security and safety of the Gulf society, but also impact areas of work performance, and psychological, economic and social aspects for the community. All these issues are directly or indirectly related to public health.

In this regard, the Ministers of the Gulf Health Council in its conference number 38 dated Sha’ban 1415H in January 1995, decided that the Executive Office of the Council of Ministers of Health (Gulf Health Council) should supervise the centers of examination of incoming expatriate workers in their countries before obtaining a work visa in GCC States.

Scroll down

The system provides the following

Limit the entry of inappropriate health cases to GCC countries through the examination of all applicants, and the re-examination of certain cases in order to seek validation of the results from the individual’s country of origin.

An electronic database of the examined expatriates.
Accurate information and statistics on diseases, inappropriate conditions and outbreaks of diseases and epidemics.
The speed of procedures in issuing the visa by the concerned authorities.
Mitigation of the monetary and psychological costs of both the expatriate and the employer as a result of bringing in inappropriate cases to GCC States.

Scope of the program

Since its inception in 1995, the program has expanded to cover 11 countries — eight in Asia and three in Africa.
The program was extended in 2017 to include new countries such as Kenya, Ghana, Madagascar, Morocco and Jordan.

Resolution of the Supreme Council of the GCC States

In view of the importance of this vital program in maintaining the health security of the GCC Member States, the Final Declaration of the Supreme Council at its 37th Session, held in the Kingdom of Bahrain from 6-7 December 2016 stated the following:

The commitment of the embassies and councils of GCC countries and the co-related authorities to verify the health and fitness validity of expatriates through the GCC Expatriates Health Check-up Program.
GCC embassies and councils shall not accept medical certificates from non-accredited medical centers by the Gulf Health Council.

The components of the program

The program is based on the medical check-list of GCC expatriates, which has been continuously updated since the start of the program — most recently in August 2017.

1

Takes appropriate measures against examination centers in violation of the sanctions list for the medical screening of expatriates for work or residence in GCC countries.

2

Ensure the fitness and health suitability of incoming workers to GCC countries and guarantee that they are free from chronic diseases, which would constitute an economic burden.

Protection of the expatriates rights when working in GCC States.

The percentage of inappropriate cases entering GCC countries before the adoption of the GCC Expatriates Health Check-up Program ranged between 17% -20% and gradually decreased to approximately 2% after the adoption of the program and then 0.5% after applying the electronic connectivity system.

Providing information on the health of expatriate workers to the embassies and consulates of GCC States and other relevant bodies through the GCC Expatriates Health Check-up Program. This helps to verify the results of the medical examination before issuing visas to expatriates.

The application of the barcode system by some embassies and consulates of the GCC Member States has reduced the falsification of medical reports and reduced the volume of work.

Expatriates Check-up Program