The Saudi expatriate worker fitness-screening program: A review of 14 years of data
METHODS: Descriptive analysis was performed on records of a Ministry of Health database from 1998 to 2011. Results were presented as distribution tables and graphs.
RESULTS: The total number of records examined was 4,272,480. Most of the workers were from Indonesia (34.30%). The total number of unfit expatriate workers was low (30,230; 0.71%). The highest rate of unfitness was among workers from Ethiopia (4.06%), followed by Somalia (2.41%). Hepatitis B infection was the most common cause (57.50%), followed by chronic disease (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and others) (21.20%), hepatitis C (17.40%) and HIV infection (1.40%). The overall unfitness rate was lower than that of other gulf council countries (GCC).
CONCLUSIONS: The highest rate of unfitness was among African expatriates. Hepatitis B was the main cause. The total number of expatriate workers registered in the Saudi Ministry of Health was underestimated, and the rate of unfit workers was lower than for other GCC countries, suggesting that standards and quality assurance in Saudi laboratories require revision.