KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health has launched the Food Handlers Examination Center at the old Farwaniya Hospital to be the second center of its kind. This is within the framework of ensuring the safety of workers at all stages of food processing and the safety of professional groups working directly with community members.

The assistant undersecretary of the Ministry of Public Health Affairs, Dr Al-Munther Al-Hasawi, said in a press statement on Sunday that the Farwaniya center is the second center to provide this service nationwide, explaining that it will work with a total capacity of about 2,000 references daily by booking an appointment in advance via the Sahel application.

Al-Hasawi added that the center will provide services, including the examination of all food handlers, workers in food industries, and other professional groups that rely on direct and close interaction with members of the community. It is imperative for them to obtain a health fitness card as a prerequisite for practicing their work. He pointed out that the center is responsible for testing and conducting laboratory tests, including a blood test, to ensure that there is no HIV infection and also to ensure that there are no hepatitis B and C viruses.

These examinations will also be carried out on employees of beauty salons and health institutes. Besides that, it will conduct chest X-rays for all the targeted groups to ensure they are free from tuberculosis. Also, food handlers will be tested to make sure they are free of bacteria and parasites that may be transmitted through their hands.

One of the examinations that will be carried out by these centers is a virtual fitness examination by specialized doctors to ensure general hygiene and to make sure workers are free from skin diseases, burns, wounds, respiratory, and throat diseases. Al-Hasawi said that these centers will also provide vaccinations against typhoid, hepatitis A, tetanus, and influenza.

The director of the Health Communication Center and the official spokesman of the Ministry, Dr. Abdullah Al-Sindh, said that the inauguration of the center came within the framework of the ministry’s keenness to ensure the quality and safety of food and in compliance with the relevant health standards. Al-Sindh explained that the segment covered by the services of these centers amounts to about half a million people annually, which in turn relieves the pressure on the other inspection centers. — KUNA