The Consumer Association of Penang (CAP) today urged the government to initiate an urgent and thorough review of the system of screening foreign workers for infectious diseases.

In a statement, its president SM Mohamed Idris (right) said it would be more effective if the Health Ministry was directly involved in overseeing the quality of medical examinations.

He said it is quite common for foreign workers to be blamed for bringing diseases into Malaysia from their country of origin.

However, he added that the health monitoring system in place at present should be capable of determining this for certain.

He said the health status of foreign workers should be ascertained as disease-free on arrival and examinations after this should give an accurate idea where these workers are contracting diseases.

"To be really fair, local workers should also be subjected to the same tests as foreign workers as they work in the same environment," he added.

Mohamed Idris said the doctors and medical laboratories engaged to conduct medical examinations and tests must be proven to be reliable.

"We will not get an accurate picture if examinations and screening tests are not carried out in full and according to proper procedure. Inaccurate findings can have serious impacts on workers and the nation as a whole," he warned.

Action needed

Commenting on the Foreign Workers Medical Examination Monitoring Agency (Fomena), he said the suspension of more than 100 clinics on its panel this year due to shoddy or questionable practices, raises concerns on the accuracy of medical tests results churned out over the years.

He said Fomena stopped short at suspension and errant clinics were not reported to the ministry for further action to be taken.

He also noted that Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek had to advise Fomena to report these clinics to the Malaysian Medical Council.

"CAP is given to understand that in meetings with Fomena, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and other agencies, Fomena was required to give updates on the quality of laboratory investigations, physical examinations and X-ray examinations, and also, how the quality in these areas could be upgraded further.

"The impression we were given was that there was close cooperation between the ministry and Fomena," he said.

"If this is the case, why does the minister have to advise Fomena to report errant clinics and lapses in quality? Would not this information have been supplied to the ministry regularly since the beginning of the 'clean-up' operations started this year?" he asked.

Operating X-ray machines without a licence, submitting the same X-ray for more than one worker, not keeping records of specimens collected, not maintaining a proper register of medical examinations are serious offences which should warrant the suspension of a doctor's practicing certificate, he added.