Saudi Arabian National Recruitment Committee (SANARCOM) is drafting a mechanism to give complete insurance coverage to all foreign workers, SANARCOM chairman Waleed A. Al-Swaidan told Saudi Gazette here, Sunday. The coverage will not only be related to health care but also to accidents, injuries and deaths, he said. The final draft would be submitted for approval to the Labor Ministry. Al-Swaidan said Saudi Arabia is applying strict health screening measures before recruiting foreign workers. Strict health examination is conducted for recruitment of domestic helpers from African countries, which are endemic to communicable diseases such as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Ebola and Yellow Fever. SANARCOM is concerned about the health of Saudi citizens and take all possible healthcare measures before recruitment of foreign workers, particularly domestic helpers, he said. Al-Swaidan said Saudi Arabia recently started recruitment of domestic helpers from Nepal and Vietnam. There has been a constant demand for domestic helpers here and the recruitment from countries such as Nepal and Vietnam was started in August last year. During the past eight months, around 100,000 maids from Nepal and 30,000 from Vietnam have arrived here. However, the recruitment of housemaids from Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Philippines – the major suppliers to the Kingdom – is continuing as usual, he said. After a brief suspension, recruitment from Bangladesh has started again. Negotiations with Indonesia are underway on latter's demand for a minimum wage for housemaids. SANARCOM wants to implement something that is mutually agreeable to both parties – the employer and the employee. If any country demands a fixed minimum wage for housemaids then the procedures such as guarantee against run-away workers should also be included in the employment contract, he said. An estimated 20,000 maids arrived in Saudi Arabia every month that served as replacement of outgoing foreigners. __
