Health checks
New team members should have a medical examination and their vaccinations should be checked.
Vaccination
Team members on national contracts should already have the necessary vaccinations but this should be checked especially if they will be working in an area of the country or in conditions which are new to them.
Team member on international contracts should have received the necessary vaccinations before arriving in country, but again worth checking.
The vaccinations team members require will depend on a number of factors including:
- the vaccinations they have already had;
- the immunities they have already from past illnesses;
- the country they will be visiting and the region they will be working in;
- the work they will be doing;
- and the time they will be spending there.
They should seek advice from a doctor or other health professional to decide which vaccinations they require.
Useful additional information is available on the World Health Organisation site in their international travel and health section.
Some courses of injections have to be taken over a period of months while others cannot be given at the same time as each other, so they can not always all be done at the same time at the last moment!
It is condition of some insurance policies that all necessary precautions are taken including vaccinations.
Medical examination
New team members should have a medical examination.
- Finding the right doctor is important – case study
- Use a standard medical examination form - your health insurers may be able to provide one.
- There are ethical questions in testing for say HIV/AIDS – see ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work code
- Medical information must be treated as confidential and there should be limited access to any such information. This might be the programme manager or the senior HR staff member.