MEF support Health Ministry calls for employers to monitor foreign workers for TB

PETALING JAYA : The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) fully supports the Health Ministry's call for employers to monitor their foreign workers for tuberculosis (TB).
MEF executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said currently foreign workers who come in legally undergo health screening in their country of origin and also in Malaysia.
"If medical checks are done thoroughly in the country of origin and here, then the spread of diseases such as tuberculosis can be averted from spreading. Furthermore, these foreign workers also need to go for annual medical check-up for renewal of passport and screening for tuberculosis is one of the criterias," he told theSun.
He said the annual screening for foreign workers was more than sufficient and employers always ensure their employees, irrespective locals or foreigners are screened for communicable diseases.
"Employers have always supported the government's effort to make the country free from communicable diseases," he said, adding that the main suspects for the spread were the illegal immigrants who do not undergo medical screenings.
"I urge employers to cooperate and not hire illegal foreign workers," he said when commenting on Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya who said the influx of illegal immigrants into the country is among the cause for the spread of tuberculosis.
He said 24,220 TB cases were reported last year, including 1,696 fatalities.