Gulf states are to tighten their medical screening process for new expat jobseekers by monitoring the accredited health centres in various cities in other countries.

The move is aimed at keeping the region free from communicable diseases, a report in Arab News said.

Many Asian nationals have been deported after arriving in the Kingdom because despite being declared medically unfit in their home countries, they managed to fly out. These expats have also been denied entry into other GCC countries, said the report.

An inspection team from an expatriate health checkup mission, launched by the executive board of the GCC Health Ministers Council, recently visited South Asian countries to conduct random checks and to evaluate the accredited health centres, the report said quoting a high-ranking official.

Basheer Al-Sufyani, head of the mission, was quoted as telling Arab News that preliminary screening had reduced the number of infected persons entering into GCC countries to nearly five percent of all new arrivals.

A total of 298 accredited health centers are functioning in 11 manpower-exporting countries, he said.