Better Health Examining System For Indonesian Workers

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya
JAKARTA (Bernama) - Malaysia and Indonesia Friday agreed to introduce a more comprehensive medical examination system for Indonesian workers sent to Malaysia.

Under the proposed system, Indonesian workers will be examined twice: once in their country and once in Malaysia.

This contrasts with the present practice of examining the workers twice in Indonesia and once in Malaysia.

The system, which will reduce medical costs, will be the mechanism to ensure that all foreign workers coming to Malaysia do not suffer from a contagious disease, Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said at a joint press conference with his Indonesian counterpart, Dr Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih.

The two ministers signed a joint statement after their talks Friday which followed the senior officials meeting on Thursday.

Malaysia and Indonesia also agreed on cooperation in communicable disease control, traditional and complementary medicine, control of drugs and cosmetic products, exchange in the training of doctors and in medical information and in health research.

Dr Endang said that a joint working committee would be set up to monitor progress of cooperation in these areas.

She also said that the two sides would prepare a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in health and medicine, and hoped that the details could be finalised within a year.

This is the second Malaysian-Indonesian ministerial meeting since 2004. The third is scheduled for 2013.