Saudi gov’t wants strict medical AIDS test for OFWs

Published by rudy Date posted on September 1, 2009

The Saudi Arabian government yesterday urged Philippine medical clinics undertaking medical exams for overseas Filipino workers bound for the Middle East to undertake stricter measures in examining OFWs suspected of having the HIV/AIDS disease.

Saudi Ambassador to the Philippines Mohammad Amen Wali was reacting to a news report that the Department of Health’s HIV/AIDS Registry showed that from January 1984 to July 2009, there were 4,021 HIV cases in the Philippines, 817 of whom have progressed into AIDS.

Health officials said 3,609 of the 4,021 cases were infected through sexual contact.

From 2007, a total of 477 cases or 38 percent of sexual transmission was homosexual while 423 or 34 percent were heterosexual and 341 or 28 percent were bisexual.

The Department of Health (DoH) had registered 432 HIV/AIDS cases from January to July 2009.

Seventy of the cases were recorded in July with “bisexual contact as the most predominant type of sexual transmission.”

Dr. Rodolfo Punzalan, Chairman and President of GCC Accredited Medical Clinics Association (GAMCA), which is authorized by the Middle East countries of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman to perform medical exams on OFWs bound for those countries, said that his association has taken the necessary steps to ferret out suspected HIV/AIDS cases among OFWs.

Punzalan also vowed to strictly follow the rules imposed by Ministries of Health of the countries mentioned through the 17 clinics of GAMCA in Metro Manila.

Gamca Philippines and the DoH in particular with the National Reference Laboratory in San Lazaro Hospital housing the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory work in cooperation to provide a healthy workplace environment both here and abroad.–Michaela P. del Callar, Daily Tribune

Sept 5 – Oct 5
National Teachers Month

“Pay teachers decent wages,
Pay attention to teachers!”

Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.

Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar.  Reject Military!

#WearMask #WashHands
#Report Corruption #SearchPosts #TakePicturesVideos

Time to support & empower survivors. Time to spark a global conversation. Time for #GenerationEquality to #orangetheworld!

September


Monthly Observances:

Health, Safety, and Sanitation Month
Clean-up Month
Civil Service Month

National Peace Consciousness Month

Social Security Month

Rule of Law Month

National Teachers’ Month (Sept 5-Oct 5)

 

Weekly Observances:

Sept 17 – 23:

World Clean and Green Week

Week 2: Education Week

Week 4: Medicine Week

Last Week: Family Week


Daily Observances:

Third Saturday: International Coastal Clean-up Day

Third Monday: World Health Day

Last Friday: National Maritime Day

Sept 8: National Literacy Day

Sept 15: Philippine Medicine Day

Categories

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.