MoH opens new food handlers examination center in Farwaniya

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KUWAIT CITY, Jan 26: In a move aimed at ensuring the safety of workers involved in food processing and those engaged in direct interactions with the public, the Ministry of Health has inaugurated a new Food Handlers Examination Center at the Old Farwaniya Hospital. This marks the second center providing such services nationwide.

Dr. Al-Mundhir Al-Hasawi, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Affairs, emphasized that the new center will offer examination services to various professional groups, including food handlers, beauty salon workers, and employees of health institutes, dye shops, flower shops, and ornamental fish establishments. These individuals are required to obtain a health fitness card to practice their professions.

The center’s services encompass laboratory tests, including blood tests to check for immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B and C viruses (specifically for beauty salon and health institute workers), and chest x-rays to screen for active tuberculosis. Food handlers undergo additional examinations to ensure they are free of bacteria and parasites.

Specialized doctors conduct virtual fitness examinations to ascertain general cleanliness and to ensure individuals are free of skin diseases, burns, wounds, respiratory issues, and throat diseases. Vaccination services are also provided, including typhoid fever and hepatitis A vaccines for food handlers, and tetanus and influenza vaccines for all groups. The “monovalent” Covid-19 vaccine is also available.

Dr. Al-Hasawi stressed that these services aim to curb the spread of diseases transmitted through contaminated food and hands, enhance food safety, reduce the prevalence of skin and respiratory diseases, and promote nutritional and health awareness among targeted groups.

The Farwaniya Center, now the second of its kind nationwide, operates with a capacity of approximately 2,000 references per day for individuals. Appointments can be booked through the “Meta” or “Sahel” platforms. Dr. Abdullah Al-Sanad, Director of the Health Access Center and Spokesman for the Ministry of Health highlighted the significance of these centers, serving around half a million people annually, to alleviate the load on the food handlers’ inspection center in the Sharq region. The initiative aims to uphold the quality and safety of traded food, ensuring healthy and safe consumption for the public in collaboration with the General Authority for Food and Nutrition.

As part of the ongoing digital transformation of health services, the Ministry launched the electronic issuance of health fitness cards through the “Kuwait Health” application and the “Sahel” application. The digital card is valid for one year and can be conveniently renewed without the need for in-person visits to the center.

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