AL-AHSA — A Saudi citizen in Al-Ahsa was shocked to discover that his newly recruited maid was infected with the HIV virus. According to Adnan Ahmad, he hired the maid through a local recruitment office after paying more than SR9,000 in fees. He claimed that he waited more than 10 months before the maid arrived. He also put down SR4,000 in advance salary payments. “She was working with us for two months. We sent her for the routine medical examination at King Fahd Hospital before processing her iqama and the results were all good and she started working. She became sick in Ramadan, which we suspected was flu and cough. She was given medicines until she became better. “On the Eid day she became sick again. This time she suffered from headache and she told my mother that there were signs of bleeding all over her body. She was rushed to King Fahd Hospital for treatment,” said Ahmad. He said the doctor prescribed her some skin lotion saying it was only rash. When her condition worsened, Ahmad took her again to the hospital where she was kept for five days. He added, “I received a phone call from the hospital one day. When I went there, the doctor began asking me questions about the maid. Later he told me the shocking news that she was infected with the HIV. The doctor told me that she could have contracted the virus before coming to the Kingdom.” Ahmad said he was surprised that the hospital asked him to discharge the maid and repatriate her back home. The maid is currently detained at the hospital. Ahmad blames the carelessness of the passport department, the recruitment office, and the Health Ministry for his predicament. He said that government departments should have been more vigilant to protect the interests of citizens. He also laments his loss of the woman's services and the money he spent on recruitment, and the additional SR15,000 spent in medical costs. — SG
