LOC20:26
17:26 GMT
KUWAIT, Feb 2 (KUNA) -- A group of people working at Kuwait Ministry of Health's (MoH) foreign labor test center, were arrested because they tampered with blood test samples, the MoH Assistant Undersecretary for Public health Dr. Majda Al-Qattan said Friday.
The MoH, acting upon an urgent request by the Ministry of Interior on Wednesday, carried out tests on four Egyptian nationals, including Hepatitis, Tuberculosis and AIDS, Al-Majda explained to KUNA.
The results came out on Thursday, showing two of the Egyptians were infected with Hepatitis-B and two with Hepatitis-C, she said. Tuberculosis tests were negative, she added.
Al-Qattan noted the ministry of interior has been monitoring employees at the foreign labor test center for four months who were tampering with tests' results by tampering with blood samples when moving them between the room where blood samples were taken and the laboratory.
A security guard and an MoH inspector were implicated, she said.
Al-Qattan said this gang was led by an Egyptian woman who was forging stamps used to clear tests. "This woman put the clear-to-go stamp on polluted samples," she said.
Al-Qattan said they identified a number of expatriates who passed the medical test through this gang.
Al-Qattan said the MoH would also coordinate with the Foreign Ministry to prevent such forgery. (end)
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