Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH – Saudi employers have complained about a steep rise in the cost of health checkups for domestic servants, Al-Madina newspaper reported. They say the fee has been raised to SR500 from SR100 previously.

Many polyclinics charge between SR500 and SR600 for vaccinations that have been introduced lately. Saudis demand that the Ministry of Health should provide these vaccinations at government hospitals and health centers or require the domestic servants to take them back home before traveling to the Kingdom.

The Saudi employers called on the authorities to unify the costs of such vaccinations and put an end to the greed of polyclinics, which are charging exorbitant amounts in the absence of any monitoring by officials.

Hayder Mahdi said he was shocked when the receptionist at a polyclinic asked him to pay SR500 for the medical checkup of his housemaid.

“The fee was only SR100 a few months ago. How did it get so high? The polyclinic›s medical director told me that the Jeddah Health Affairs asked all polyclinics to give new vaccinations to domestic servants and charge the employers for all tests, which reach up to SR600, including the costs of x-ray and blood tests,” he said.

Hassan Al-Harbi called upon the Ministry of Health to provide the vaccinations free of charge through public healthcare centers and unify the price for checkups at all private sector polyclinics and hospitals.

“Some greedy polyclinics have taken advantage of the situation and manipulated the prices. It is better for domestic servants to take the necessary vaccinations back home because they can transmit diseases to the family members of the Saudi employer before the medical checkups are carried out and vaccinations administered,» Al-Harbi said.

«Domestic servants undergo checkups only when employers apply for residence permits for them within three months of their arrival in the country. This is a long period through which the domestic servant can pass on diseases to members of the host family,” he added.

Dr. Sameh Al-Sawi, a medical director, said the Ministry of Health required six categories of expatriate workers to take hepatitis B vaccination before applying for residence permits for the first time. These categories include domestic servants, personal drivers, rehabilitation center workers, social care workers and barbers. This was as per the recommendation of the Council of Health Services. Accordingly, all medical examinations centers were required to revise the medical checkup program along with their prices.

The Ministry of Health spokesman told Al-Madina daily that hepatitis B vaccination was put as a requirement for all expatriate workers in order to protect public health.