Across Pakistan, thousands of citizens aspire to work abroad in lawful, productive employment. However, current expatriate medical screening policies are causing unnecessary and preventable hardship. Many prospective workers are being declared medically unfit solely on the basis of Hepatitis C antibody (ELISA) positivity, even when PCR tests confirm no active infection. Globally, PCR is recognised as the gold standard to determine actual infection and transmission risk. Antibody tests alone only indicate past exposure, not current disease. This discrepancy between scientific evidence and policy application results in unjust disqualification of otherwise healthy individuals. Families lose livelihoods, remittances are delayed and skilled workers face preventable barriers – all while public health goals are not served. Pakistan’s overseas workers deserve evidence-based, fair and transparent medical screening procedures.
It is imperative that policymakers align expatriate medical screening standards with internationally accepted PCR-based diagnostics, establish clear, transparent procedures for handling ELISA-positive/PCR-negative cases and protect workers’ rights and livelihoods while maintaining public health safeguards.
Ghulam Mujtaba
Rawalpindi
