Kuwait hosts GCC training workshop on expatriate worker medical examinations

Arab Times

22-05-2025

KUWAIT CITY, May 22: Kuwait has hosted a training workshop for members of the technical committees from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries focused on the "Wafed" program for examining expatriate workers. The workshop was jointly organized by the Public Health Department of the Ministry of Health and the Health Council of the GCC countries, aiming to strengthen Gulf cooperation and standardize health procedures across the region.
Dr. Fahad Al-Ghamlas, Director of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Health, stated in a press release that the three-day workshop brought together a group of distinguished doctors and public health specialists from the GCC countries, who are responsible for overseeing the medical examinations of expatriates from labor-exporting countries.
Al-Ghamlas explained that the workshop's primary goal is to introduce new amendments and additions to the regulations governing medical examinations for expatriates arriving in the GCC countries for work or residence. These updates are aligned with regional and international health developments.
The workshop also focuses on training members of the technical committees on how to utilize the accreditation standards guide for medical examination centers. Additionally, it aims to teach participants how to apply a modern electronic evaluation form to assess the performance of these centers. Al-Ghamlas emphasized that the workshop is a crucial step in improving the external medical examination system for expatriates.
He further noted that the training would enhance the reliability of medical procedures and contribute to the early detection of both communicable and non-communicable diseases, ultimately reducing the health and economic burdens on healthcare systems in the GCC countries.
Key components of the workshop include practical training on technical evaluation methods, a review of Gulf health requirements, updates to clinical, laboratory, and radiological examinations, and aligning these procedures with the latest medical standards recognized at both Gulf and international levels.
Al-Ghamlas also highlighted that Kuwait's hosting of this workshop for the second time is part of a broader strategy aimed at unifying health policies and improving cooperation among GCC countries, in order to achieve excellence in both preventive and therapeutic healthcare services.