UAE | Health
New medical certification centre to open in January
A medical fitness certification centre that can process 5,000 residency applicants daily will start functioning in January, aiming at easing the nightmare that has become the medical certification process.
- By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:36 December 22, 2008
- Image Credit: WAM
- Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, takes a tour of the newly opened medical certification centre in Sonapur in Ghusais that will begin functioning from January.
Dubai: A medical fitness certification centre that can process 5,000 residency applicants daily will start functioning in January, aiming at easing the nightmare that has become the medical certification process.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Finance Minister and Head of Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohms), opened the Al Muhaisna Centre located in Sonapur in Ghusais.
Among its many facilities are vaccination rooms, isolation rooms for infectious diseases, and immigration department counters processing visa applications and laboratory.
Long queues and bitter complaints have been common at government medical centres after the UAE announced new health requirements in July, banning private medical centres and municipality centres from conducting the tests.
Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, director-general, told reporters the centre would be able to handle quiet a number of medical fitness examinations.
"We can process up to 5,000 applications daily. Beginning in 2009, services [at Maktoum Hospital will be shut down and transferred here. Other primary healthcare centres will still conduct the tests, but this centre will be the hub," he said.
Dohms currently processes 3,000 applications a day at its primary healthcare centres such as the Satwa, Al Khawaneej, Safa and Al Twar centres.
Maisa Al Bustani, director of the medical fitness department at Dohms, said the department would start accepting a limited number of applications at the centre in January.
"We are in slow transition until everything is up and running. First, we will have all the major companies coming here," she said.
She added that they decided on such an approach to ensure that all the facilities were working properly.
Other than medical fitness services, the centre also houses a morgue, which will take over the burden of embalming bodies for transportation from the Maktoum Hospital.
Major diseases
Newcomers have to be tested for several diseases including HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and Hepatitis B. All those who test positive for these diseases will be deported.
Residents renewing their residency will only be tested for HIV/Aids.
Those who are Hepatitis B-negative and working in six professions including housemaids, nannies, cooks and drivers are required to be vaccinated against the virus. The cost of the three shots is Dh30.
Those who test positive for syphilis will be treated and not deported unless the sponsor requests as such.
Latest news
- Dubai number plates auction raises Dh27m
- Youngsters dance and raise cash for charity
- Dubai departments upgrade services
- Get yourself a free test for diabetes
- Ensuring a safety net for intellectual property
- Reader's issue addressed
- 5,552 illegals held in Dubai this year
- Man cleared because he took drugs in France
- Man charged with trafficking women
- Auditors to probe Mizin graft case
- Breaking down cultural barriers with photographs
- Abu Dhabi Crown Prince visits Islamic centre
- Transfusion centre launches new toll free number
- Smart e-Gate system launched
- Cyber infidelity creeping out of virtual domain
Community Reports
-
Mirror, mirror show me the way
Driver on Salam Street had so many boxes and fruits piled into car, he would not be able to view rear or right side mirrors
-
Parents should be more vigilant
Reader's picture highlights risk of negligence by caretakers
-
Warming up to ‘Mobilise the Earth' theme
Dubai school dedicates a whole week to celebrating Earth Day with can-collection drives, sapling plantation and painting competition among others
-
Drivers using mobiles put others' lives at risk
Speeding is dangerous for the driver and other motorists
