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Shun ‘illegals’ to avoid infections, say doctors

ABU DHABI — Doctors in the UAE have cautioned citizens and residents against harbouring and employing illegal workers to protect themselves from infections of various kinds.

The doctors urged the municipalities and relevant authorities to intensify inspections of workers’ accommodations, many of which lack proper hygiene because of over-crowding of rooms. Such places are a breeding ground for communicable skin and chest diseases, hepatitis and HIV infections, and other life-threatening diseases.

Dr Samir Gobia, a family medicine specialist in the Ministry of Health, stressed the urgent need for aggressive awareness campaigns in the media for educating the public about the dangers of mingling with illegal workers, especially following the absconding of increasing number of housemaids from their employers and the increasing number of women working at coffee shops.

He called for the introduction of mobile clinics in the areas which many of the violators frequent, like the immigration offices, Ministry of Labour offices or community clubs in order to detect people suffering from communicable or infectious diseases.

Dr Mazen Naji, Director of Zayed Complex for Herbal Research and Traditional Medicine urged the public to exercise caution when dealing with pharmaceutical products and medicines marketed and sold by some sources, especially those purportedly made of natural sources with claims of healing physical and sexual disorders, including impotence.

Gastroenterologist Dr Saeed Al Sheikh indicated that most of the ‘illegals’ were working at sites which did not comply with occupational health requirements, like construction sites.

Dr Ali Al Sayed, a liver specialist at Al Noor Hospital, appealed to people not to employ workers who did not have health fitness certificates. Dr Tigani Shaib, a venereologist and dermatologist, noted that various diseases could easily be communicated from one person to another in mass accommodation facilities.

Intensive care specialist Dr Mohammed Khamis of Salama Hospital believed that sexually-transmitted diseases are the most dangerous of risks that the illegal workers could face or communicate.

Dr Zeinab Khaza’al, Director Preventive Medicine, Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD), spoke about regulations introduced to protect the community from communicable diseases. “All workers residing in the country legally were screened. However, in some cases, housemaids have absconded from their sponsors without undergoing medical examinations. Police have been informed about such cases,” she added.