Irbid, Dec. 22 (Petra) – Assistant Director of Irbid Health for Medical and Technical Affairs Dr. Arafat Alawneh said the directorate has launched a mobile screening unit for Jordanian workers and other nationalities in the northern region.

Alawneh told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) on Monday that the unit will be stationed at Al-Hassan Industrial City to conduct tests for tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, syphilis, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C for workers. The unit was donated by the International Organization for Migration to the Ministry of Health.

He noted that the launch of the unit aims to enhance public health, protect the community, and save workers time, effort, and money by sparing them the need to travel to hospitals to undergo the required annual tests, in addition to easing pressure on hospitals.

For his part, Head of the Chest Diseases and Expatriate Health Department at the Irbid Health Directorate Dr. Fayez Beshtawi said the launch of the vehicle at Al-Hassan Industrial City came because the city includes a large number of Jordanian and non-Jordanian workers, exceeding 40,000.

He added that the vehicle’s staff includes a radiology technician, a laboratory technician, and a physician to conduct the necessary examinations, at a rate of three times per week from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. He confirmed that the mobile unit is equipped with an artificial intelligence device for detecting tuberculosis.

Alawneh expected the unit to conduct about 1,000 tests per month, noting that it can carry out examinations, surveillance, and detection of tuberculosis in remote and underserved areas. He said this service will significantly assist the Ministry of Health in detecting communicable diseases and tuberculosis and preventing their spread.

//Petra// AF