Should employees be subjected to compulsory medical tests?

“I was denied a job because one of my would be bosses knew I had asthma. this hurt me so much because I was Being discriminated against basing on my health condition,” says Idah Nabukera*.
She adds that this made her doubt her ability. A number of employers today reject employees because of their physical and medical status.
Mary Namukose, the director Daffur Interiors, notes that it is not wise to lay off workers or deny them opportunities basing on their medical conditions.
“You can consider giving them minimal work and their pay can be relative to their input because in most cases, these people also work hard. Rejecting them means lowering their self-esteem, which is bad,” she notes.

Herbert Zake, a managing consultant at Steadfast Quality Solutions Limited, says it is very good practice to check the medical condition of a prospective employee. He notes that for the employer, it reveals whether the candidate is fit for the job at hand. For the individual, you will get to know the state of health and if there are any interventions you need to put in place.
Eric Ligwale, a medical practitioner, says medical information is strictly private and confidential. The details should only be known by the medical service provider as well as the candidate.

He notes that these details should never be shared with the prospective employer except with the express approval of the person to be employed. In the same vein, employers should never put pressure on medical service providers to provide medical details about their current or prospective/future employees to them because it is none of their business. Medical practitioners swear an oath of confidentiality, which has to be obeyed at all costs.
“Some organisations periodically subject their staff to medical tests. This is a good and prudent thing to do and it is for the benefit of both the organisation and the individual. In both cases, it helps to show if any remedies need to be put in place,” notes Zake.

He adds that there are instances where an employee may be deemed unsuitable to continue working. This could be as a result of an illness or accident. Such an employee would need to be taken through a medical examination to determine whether they are fit to continue working. In some circumstances, the employer may need to make adjustments in the facilities such a person uses or assign lighter or more appropriate duties depending on the condition.
Zake adds that the only instance in the Employment Act where a medical examination would be required is where the prospective employee would be working in conditions where they could be exposed to hazardous substances. In that case a medical examination could be done prior to employment and again at specified intervals.

What the law says
“There is no law that requires a blanket medical examination before a person is taken on in employment,” Zake says.
All people out of their own volition whether or not in employment should ideally undergo a medical examination at least once a year - checking all the vital areas - for example eyes, teeth, ears, the functioning of the different body organs. Employees who have medical insurance cover should take advantage of this arrangement.

What you benefit from medical checks
You need to know your medical status to live a healthy life. It is advisable that you go for general body checkup at least twice a year.

Improve performance
Knowing your health status and treating yourself means better performance results at work as you will be operating in a healthy mind and body. This will also help you know how you stand health wise.

Reduce health risks
Sometimes we have serious sicknesses that could be treated in their early stages but go too far when not diagnosed in their early stages. Going for medical checkups could help you learn of a disease that could take your life. Is very important to explore all possible diseases and know how you stand,” she notes.
In an interview with Dr Francis Orem, the Director Uganda Cancer Institute, he notes that the reason most Ugandans die of cancer is because they go to hospitals when it is in its last stages making it hard to control.

Access to health information
Dr Orem notes that going to the hospital will help you get access to knowledge about different diseases and how to go about them. You will learn to feed well to live a better life.

Report
A report from word health organisation shows that Obesity, High blood pressure, High cholesterol, High blood glucose alcohol, Smoking, poor feeding and lack of exercise are the main things that should be given attention to while doing medical checkup which most people ignore.

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