Region's small and medium sized businesses urged to develop health policies for workers

Dr Jalees Razavi, the first and only doctor from the Middle East to be appointed to the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners, and consultant in occupational medicine from Saudi Arabia, has warned that workers in small and medium sized companies with less than 100 employees are often not receiving sufficient levels of specialised occupational healthcare, because there are no procedures in place to monitor staff injuries and sickness.

"In large companies there are usually effective occupational health policies in place to monitor the health and safety of its workers, and sometimes even an in-house doctor," said Dr. Razavi. "However in the case of some small and medium sized businesses in the region, no such provision exists."

"There is an inevitable cost to companies which do not have such a system in place in terms of lost productivity, compensation payments, and even higher insurance premiums, for workers who become sick or are injured," added Dr. Razavi, who will chair the upcoming 3rd Annual GCC Occupational Health Conference, January 30 to February 3 in Dubai.

Industries that employ a relevantly low number of workers are being urged to develop strategies to tackle occupational health issues, in accordance with guidelines from regional health and labour ministries, international trade and labour organizations, and the World Bank. Sickness and injury at work is estimated to cost businesses in the region millions of dollars every year due to absenteeism alone.

While the cost of developing monitoring and treatment processes may deter companies from addressing the occupational health needs of its workforce, the long term financial benefits of preventing, treating and managing work related injuries and sickness, will outweigh the initial outlay, Dr. Razvi explained.

Regional and international specialists in occupational health and medicine will discuss the latest developments, treatments and prevention techniques in the field during the conference. Professor Paul Brandt-Rauf, chairman, Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Deputy Director, Centre for Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, USA, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine will deliver the keynote address.

Other speakers include Dr. Christopher Martin, assistant professor at the Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health, West Virginia University School of Medicine; Dr. Maher Al Jadid, consultant and head of the rehabilitation medicine division at the Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital; and Dr Wael Almahmeed, consultant cardiologist at the Al-Jazeira and Central Hospital in Abu Dhabi.

For the second year running, the conference has been awarded the Gold Seal of Accreditation from the prestigious American Academy of Continuing Medical Education (AACME). The certification means the conference has undergone an extensive assessment and peer-based survey of its facilities, programmes and services.

The AACME accreditation ensures many Middle East practitioners, who would previously have to travel outside the region to continue their education, can now undergo continuing medical education while attending the Occupational Health Conference, organised by IIR.

"We will address several aspects of occupational health and medicine over the three day event, with a host of leading experts in the field," said Jackie Wilks, conference director, IIR. "Given the booming business market in the Gulf and wider Middle East, it is timely that we examine these issues now, so employees can receive the very best treatment and rehabilitation for injuries and sickness caused at work."