Expats to Undergo Compulsory Screening at Immigration Service Hospital

The Ghana Immigration Service has instituted a new regulation that mandates all expatriates seeking work permits to run their health laboratory tests at their newly commissioned hospital.

According to the Service, this is part of efforts towards ridding the system of forged health documents by some immigrants.

Speaking to Citi News after the Service commissioned the Hospital, its Public Relations Officer, Supt. Michael Amoako-Atta, said this would be paramount to national security.

“Previously, they [immigrants] were free to conduct medical examinations in any hospital that they wanted. But again, doing background checks on some of the hospitals that were issuing the supposed medical certificates, you call a number on the certificates and it will end up with someone in Makola.”

“We thought for us, public health and safety was paramount… they are going to work in industries and factories where other people are, so the outbreak of an epidemic is going to be a threat to security. So that is why that immediate change had to come and we commissioned the hospital.”

In terms of threats like terrorism, Supt. Amoako-Atta said the Service was also up to the task, and prepared for any unforeseen attacks.

Though the Service is slightly under-resourced, it can handle any potential terror attacks in the country, he said.

“We may not have all the logistics that we need, but the little that we have and by our training and conduct, we have been able to maintain security at the country’s borders over the years. Just a year ago when Cote D’lvoire was in crisis, we were able to maintain sanity at the borders that there was not much spillover,” he said.