Qatar admits invasive medical test carried out on foreigners at airport

CAIRO – 30 October 2020: Qatar's Government Communications Office admitted that invasive medical examinations were carried out on some foreign women flying out of Doha in Hamad International Airport, in violation for standard procedures.

This comes as British diplomats have expressed concerns on the incident as two British women were among those who underwent the medical test.

The persons responsible for the incident were searching for the mother of a newborn baby found abandoned in a bathroom at the airport.

“We are providing ongoing support to two British women following an incident in Doha,” a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement.

“We have formally expressed our concern with the Qatari authorities and Qatar Airways and are seeking assurances an unacceptable incident like this cannot happen again.”

A woman involved in the incident said staff at the airport asked women to disembark their flights without giving any explanation.

The staff then led them through the airport’s underground areas and were told to remove their underwear so that medical staff can whether any of them recently gave birth.