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filmpan · Joined: 04 Feb 2009 Posts: 7

My doctor was amazed at the bewildering variety of tests on the medical certification form downloaded off the Saudi embassy (Washington DC) website. An exam as exhaustive as that would cost a serious bundle. Does the embassy require ALL those tests (e.g. stool sample, etc)? Or will a "bill of good health" be acceptable?

johnslat · Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:06 am Post subject:

Dear flmpan,
All, I'm afraid. Way back in 1980, I "cheated" a bit by donating blood and having the doctor there (who smelled heavily of whiskey) fill it in. But it was a lot simpler back then and a lot less was required.
Regards,
John

omm Juman · Joined: 27 Jul 2009 Posts: 11

[quote="filmpan"]. Does the embassy require ALL those tests (e.g. stool sample, etc)?[/quote]

Yes they do

karachi · Joined: 15 Jul 2009 Posts: 11

Yes, you will have to do all the tests in your country to get the visa. Then, when you get to Saudi and start work you will have to repeat them again because officialdom there won't believe the results i.e they will think you may have got the medical documents by corrupt means, as many third-worlders do. So, you will have had 2 chest x-rays (not advisable in a short space of time), blood tests etc. The worst is trying to produce a stool sample into a yoghurt pot in a tiny toilet cubicle in the hospital. Enjoy Saudi!

balqis · Joined: 30 Jul 2006 Posts: 373

Not only the Third-worlders produce reports which are more or less fake. And with them I am sure it is for a sound reason as probably many of the chemicals needed to carry out the preposterous tests are not available where they originate from, or they are simply too costly and in general spurious.

Mine was to a degree fake too. The report demands are too preposterous to carry them out in full so instead you are advised to resort to a tool you always have at your disposal, i.e. common sense, and find a doctor who also uses this tool, i.e. common sense, and who will just do the basic blood tests and assess your general condition and gently bend off or round off the rest of what the report preposterously requires. So it is all down to finding a rightly-minded doctor who will immediately notice the impossible nonsense of the report demands.

After all - and even with all those preposterous tests carried out lege artis and positive - your doctor may simply advise you against going to Arabia.
Just avoid the fancy tests and focus more on your true body and soul condition while making up your mind for or against Arabia.

best,

balqis

johnslat · Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 2:23 pm Post subject:

Dear filmpan,
However, if you are still prone to depression, I would suggest that you think long and hard before choosing the Kingdom as your destination. While it's by no means guaranteed that you'll find it a hard place to live and work in, I believe that most would find that to be the case.
If you are self-contained, have hobbies (such as reading, the Internet, etc.) that can occupy your "free time", do not need much "outside stimulation", are not overly discouraged by (mainly) unmotivated students, and can find being in a culture that has many restrictions on your behavior and speech tolerable, then I'd say you'd have a good chance of making it there.
On the plus side, a lot of "mood-enhancing" drugs that require prescriptions in the States can be bought "over-the-counter" there - or so I'm told since I never resorted to them myself.
Regards,
John

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Treat it as an initiative test. If you can't get over this and other hurdles, KSA is not for you !