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Policy changes in handling TB and HIV cases soon

DUBAI – Changes in policies regarding treatment and handling of TB cases are expected to be approved by health authorities soon.

Among a number of policy changes that can be expected includes a tuberculosis (TB) free status certificate issued by the home countries of expatriates seeking residency in the UAE.

Officials have also been pushing for changes in the deportation laws regarding infectious diseases such as HIV and TB. According to senior health official from the Dubai Health Authority, four new policies related to dealing with pulmonary TB have been prepared and presented the authority’s strategy council for action.

“The policies have been approved by the council and will be announced in due time,” said Dr Ali Marzooqi, Director of Public Health and Safety Department without elaborating on what the policies were. As per the current federal law, expatriates who test positive for HIV and TB during the medical fitness process before obtaining a work permit/residency are repatriated.

But unlike HIV cases that are sent back immediately, people with TB are quarantined, treated and then deported. According to Dr Kulthoom Hassan, Director of the National TB Programme at the UAE health ministry many GCC states are already following this policy.

Expatriates who travel from endemic countries to some Gulf countries for employment need to get a clearance from a pre-approved medical fitness centre stating that they are free of any communicable diseases such as TB and HIV, she said.

Authorities including the DHA, MoH and Health Authority of Abu Dhabi, however, have approved of and are in the process of developing standardised TB management guidelines which require all healthcare providers across the country to follow the same treatment methods. A recent study done by DHA found that 576 people seeking residency in Dubai were infected, and most cases were imported from endemic countries including India, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

The study also showed that 60 per cent of patients did not show up for follow-up treatment for several reasons, including fear of deportation. 
 asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com