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KOTA KINABALU: The state government is considering setting up screening centres at all immigration entry points and hotspots to prevent immigrants with contagious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) from entering Sabah.
“We will be discussing with the relevant authorities and departments about this matter.
“We need to see how we can work this out in terms of manpower, site and maybe allocations,” said state Health and Wellbeing minister Datuk Stephen Wong.
The topic came about at the state assembly sitting yesterday when Karanaan assemblyman Datuk Masidi Manjun suggested that such screening points be set up to prevent the spread of contagious diseases from immigrants to locals.
Citing statistics between 2013 and 2016, Wong said that some 30% of TB patients were illegal immigrants.
Kinabatangan records the highest number of TB cases among immigrants at 68% followed by Kunak (53%), Lahad Datu (50%), and Semporna (47%), he said.
To curb the spread of TB and other contagious diseases, the state department requires immigrants and foreign workers to undergo health screening before they can be legally hired.
As of September, 107,584 foreign workers had been screened for various diseases including TB, Wong said.
Wong said the relatives of these workers with health complications such as diabetes, HIV, kidney failure and the elderly were also required to go for health screenings as they were of high risk to get TB.
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