Rules and regulations will be introduced soon to check the health status of foreigners who apply for resident visas to stay in Sri Lanka for some time for work, studies etc, acting Director General of Health Services Dr. Jayasundara Bandara said.
Addressing a press conference at the Government Information Department Auditorium in Colombo yesterday, he said at the moment, all workplaces check the health of their employees, especially for Tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS and Malaria. Laws will be introduced soon to conduct a full health check-up for resident visa applicants.
Anti Malaria Campaign Director Dr. H. D. B. Herath said usually all Sri Lankans travelling abroad obtain vaccination against Yellow Fever and Malaria. The vaccination against Yellow Fever is done at the Health Office of the Colombo Harbour. The vaccination against Malaria is available at the Medical Centre located at BIA.
The Malaria threat is in certain parts of Thailand and India but visiting Bangkok or New Delhi does not pose a major threat to the health of passengers.
At present, the main threat of importing Malaria to Sri Lanka emanates from Chinese workers arriving in Sri Lanka after serving in African countries, he added.