Random medical check-ups in progress at the free medical camp.
By Azmat haroon
Doha: Nearly 150 domestic workers received counselling at the annual free medical camp yesterday. A majority of these domestic workers did not have Health Cards, which would allow them to benefit from the primary health care services.
“Many of the housemaids that came today had problems related to diabetes, gastroenteritis and some allergies,” Dr Naseera Abu Bakar, a gynecologist at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), said.
Dr Naseera was among the 144 doctors at the 12th Free Medical Camp held at the Tariq Bin Ziyad Independent School for Boys in Salata Jadeed.
Housewives of low-income workers in Qatar also sought medical counselling at the camp, in addition to hundreds of other expatriate workers.
A 20-year-old Indian driver working here for a Qatari family said his employers had never bought him a health card or taken him to a doctor when he fell sick.
“I have been here for a year and five months now but my employers (the family he works for) have never cared about my health problems,” the young worker who did not want to be identified said.
Asked why he did not have a health card, he said he did not know there was such a facility in the country. Many people found out that they were diabetic or had problems related to hypertension only after attending the camp.
“Some of them were also chronic diabetics but they did not have access to primary health care,” Dr Naseera said.
Under the joint umbrella of the three organizations, people who require immediate medical help are also provided health cards every year. “We identify cases which need immediate attention and give away health cards to them,” Dr K P Najeeb, president of IDC and the IMA, said.
In the case of housemaids, some of whom were from Indonesia and the Philippines, doctors provided them counseling on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. “Free medicines were also provided to many patients,” Dr Najeeb said.
The Peninsula
