The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) recently launched the International Telemedicine Service as part of the ministry's vision to implement COVID-19 related precautionary and preventive measures in health facilities.

In line with the MoHAP's plans to develop the Visiting Consultants Programme, the new telemedicine service is aimed at helping both doctors and patients receive remote second opinion consultations in case of critical medical conditions.

As per a WAM report, the service will be operational in the month of November in 16 MoHAP hospitals and it will cover all medical specialities. It will help in connecting the patients with foreign consultants and specialists through video calling service when they visit the hospital. Furthermore, doctors in MoHAP hospitals ensure that information related to patients’ visits will be regularly updated on the database.

UAE citizens will also benefit from new servies during their visits to the physicians at any MoHAP-affiliated hospital. The new service has launched in line with the Cabinet Decision No. 40 of 2019 of Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2016 rules & regulations of providing telemedicine services in the UAE.

Responding to the development, Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, said that the newly-launched innovative service has been initiated as part of the ministry's effort to implement preventive health practices with the aim of combatting any infection and reinforcing telemedicine services in the country.

He also highlighted MoHAP's keenness to provide innovative solutions to strengthen digital healthcare services in the UAE as part of its programme launched to provide specialized medical care and teleconsultations with consultants from all over the world. The MoHAP had earlier launched the Visiting Consultants Programme in line with the precautionary and preventive measures carried out in hospitals and other medical facilities with the aim at mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, Dr. Mohammad Salim Al Olama, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Health, noted that the international telemedicine service will allow the patients to utilise medical expertise of consultants from several countries across the world. He hailed the sophisticated technology infrastructure of the ministry, adding that the new telemedicine service will provide preliminary diagnosis and healthcare consultations in coordination with medical teams of the MoHAP using medical apps on smartphone and other AI-based tools.

He noted that the MoHAP took the decision to resume its Visiting Consultants Programme amid prevailing COVID-19 challenges with the aim to mitigate the sufferings of patients and improve the quality of their life. It will also help in reducing the burden of their travelling abroad for medical services, he added.

WAM