GAMCA Medical Centres in Pakistan: 2026 Guide for Gulf Work Visa

GAMCA (Gulf Approved Medical Centres Association) is the umbrella body that regulates medical examinations for Pakistani workers heading to all six GCC countries — Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait. Only GAMCA-approved centres can issue the medical certificate required for these visas. If you go to any other clinic, your certificate will not be accepted.

How to find a GAMCA centre near you

The official portal is wafid.com (the new Wafid platform that replaced the old GCC HMC). To find centres:

1. Visit wafid.com
2. Click 'Find Medical Center'
3. Filter by country (Pakistan) and city

GAMCA centres by Pakistani city (2026)

Karachi (largest cluster)

• Gulf Medical Centre — Saddar
• Aga Khan Hospital — Stadium Road
• Hamdard Medical Complex — Tariq Road
• Mehmood Hospital — Federal B Area
• Multiple other GAMCA-approved private hospitals — full list at wafid.com

Lahore

• Mughal Medical Centre — Mall Road
• Doctors Hospital — Johar Town
• Hameed Latif Hospital — Old Anarkali
• City Hospital — Faisal Town

Islamabad / Rawalpindi

• Margalla Medical Centre — Blue Area Islamabad
• Holy Family Hospital — Rawalpindi (limited GAMCA service)
• Pakistan International Medical College — Rawalpindi

Other cities

• Peshawar — Northwest General Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex
• Quetta — Bolan Medical Complex
• Multan — Nishtar Hospital, Combined Medical Centre
• Faisalabad — Faisalabad Medical Complex
• Sukkur — Sukkur Medical Centre
• Sialkot — City Hospital

What the GAMCA medical includes

1. Physical examination — height, weight, BP, vision, hearing, skin inspection
2. Chest X-ray — primary screen for TB
3. Blood tests:
   • HIV antibody (Saudi rejects HIV-positive applicants)
   • Hepatitis B (HBsAg)
   • Hepatitis C (anti-HCV)
   • Syphilis (VDRL/RPR)
   • Malaria (in some endemic countries)
   • Pregnancy test (women only)
   • Complete Blood Count
   • Random blood sugar (sometimes HbA1c for older applicants)
4. Urine analysis — including drug screen for certain categories
5. Stool examination — for intestinal parasites
6. ECG — for applicants over 40

Cost and timeline

Standard report turnaround: 2–4 working days. Express: same day for an additional fee.

What disqualifies you (UNFIT category)

• HIV positive
• Active TB (positive X-ray + confirmatory test)
• Active Hepatitis B (HBsAg positive — note: chronic carriers may still be fit depending on specific Gulf country)
• Active Hepatitis C (anti-HCV positive with elevated liver enzymes)
• Active syphilis
• Pregnancy (for some job categories — domestic worker, nurse — Saudi disqualifies pregnant applicants)
• Severe untreated diabetes
• Visual or hearing impairment beyond correction
• Severe cardiac conditions
• Pulmonary diseases requiring oxygen therapy

What happens if you're declared UNFIT

If you fail the GAMCA medical for a condition that's treatable (e.g. an active urinary infection skewing your urine analysis, mildly elevated blood sugar, transient flu inflating your CBC), you can:

1. Get treated by your private doctor
2. Re-test at the same or a different GAMCA centre after recovery (usually 4–6 weeks later)
3. Re-submit to your sponsor

If you fail for a permanent condition (HIV, chronic Hepatitis B or C, TB scars on X-ray, etc.), the Gulf country will refuse the work visa. The decision is final for that visa application, though some categories of family-residence visas have different criteria.

Tips to avoid surprises

• Fast for 8 hours before the blood draw — even though most tests don't strictly require it, fasting blood sugar is more accurate
• Don't drink alcohol or take cough syrup for 7 days before — urine drug screens can flag false positives
• Don't take antibiotics for 2 weeks before if avoidable — they can mask infections that would still show up later in Saudi
• Bring your passport, CNIC, and 2 photographs — most centres require these on the day
• Wear loose clothing — the physical exam requires full chest exposure for X-ray and palpation
• If you have a known condition, mention it upfront — the doctor will note it. Hiding it doesn't help; the blood tests will reveal it anyway.
• Re-check 2 weeks before the visa interview — the GAMCA medical is valid for 90 days from the date of issuance. If the visa is delayed, you may need to re-do it.