The "Doctor for Every Citizen" telemedicine service of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) provided benefits to over 88,000 customers last year.

The "Doctor for Every Citizen" initiative was launched in 2019 to achieve Article 5 of the Fifty-Year Charter in accordance with the directives and vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

Through this 24/7 telemedicine service, all members of the community can access reliable and approved medical consultations through direct audio and visual interaction between the doctor and patients.

Speaking over the development, Dr Alia Mohammad Rafie, Consultant Family Physician and Acting Director of Specialised Programme Services Department at DHA’s primary healthcare sector, affirmed that the telemedicine service has emerged as a crucial facility, particularly during the difficult circumstances posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

She noted that this service was implemented in line with the efforts made by various concerned UAE authorities to enforce precautionary measures such as physical distancing to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Dr Alia further noted that in the year 2020, more than 88,000 customers received benefits from the free healthcare service. Out of them, 82,000 received virtual medical consultations between January 2020 and January 2021. At the same time, the customer satisfaction rate increased significantly, as the service reduced patients' journey from 55 minutes to 11 minutes.

She stressed the importance of the service, noting that the DHA has utilized state-of-the-art technologies and smart solutions to provide necessary facilities to patients. It also helps in data management of information and medical reports of patients in accordance with the highest levels of accuracy and privacy.

She highlighted that the healthcare service played an active role during the pandemic by providing more than 7,000 telemedicine consultations to COVID-19 positive cases and over 13,000 consultations to suspected cases and close contacts across the emirate.

Patients in need of telemedicine services can download the DHA app or call the DHA toll-free number 800 342 to book an appointment for a consultation with doctors.

WAM