Bangladesh has raised concerns with the Gulf Health Council (GHC) over alleged irregularities at medical centres approved by the Council for migrant workers travelling to Gulf countries.

At a meeting in Riyadh on Monday, Expatriates' Welfare Ministry Senior Secretary Dr Neyamat Ullah Bhuiyan told GHC Director General Suleiman bin Saleh Al Dakhil that some centres were charging extra fees, delaying test reports, and harassing outbound workers.

"Oversight of these medical centres has been limited as the Council does not have a regional monitoring office in Bangladesh," Dr Bhuiyan said.

He noted that most GHC-approved centres are located in Dhaka, despite the majority of migrant workers coming from rural areas. "Travelling to the capital for medical tests is often difficult and costly for workers," he added.

To address the issue, Dr Bhuiyan proposed forming a tripartite coordination committee comprising the Gulf Health Council, Bangladesh's Health Ministry, and the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment. He also suggested appointing focal points from each side and establishing an online platform for filing and tracking complaints in real time.

The senior secretary further expressed interest in involving the ministry's 110 Technical Training Centres (TTCs) and field offices to help monitor the activities of the approved centres.

Welcoming the proposals, GHC Director General Dr Dakhil agreed to enhance collaboration to ensure that Bangladeshi migrant workers can undergo medical tests more conveniently and at lower costs. He also supported the idea of raising awareness among outgoing workers through TTCs and pledged to ensure prompt communication between the two sides via designated focal officers.

Dr Dakhil assured that any proposals from Bangladesh regarding joint oversight of medical centres would be presented to higher authorities for approval through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.