UAE | Health
Private medical centres still issuing fitness certificates
Some private medical centres are still performing medical fitness tests, required for a residency and labour visa to the UAE, despite a Ministry of Health announcement they could no longer do so.
- By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:21 November 14, 2008
Dubai: Some private medical centres are still performing medical fitness tests, required for a residency and labour visa to the UAE, despite a Ministry of Health announcement they could no longer do so.
The UAE announced new medical residency fitness rules in July, requiring all tests to be conducted in government medical centres, and barring municipality clinics and private medical centres from performing them. The laws also expanded the list of deportable diseases from HIV and tuberculosis to include Hepatitis B.
Medical tests
Medical centres under the Prime Healthcare Group are still conducting the tests.
"We are licensed by the Ministry of Interior and Dubai Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohms) to conduct Dubai residence visa renewals," said Dr Jamil Ahmad, director of the group via e-mail.
He added the group performed the tests for all Dubai residency visa renewals and new visas for free zones and family members' residency visas.
The group centres that conduct the tests include Prime Diagnostic Centre in Deira and on Shaikh Zayed Road.
But the Ministry of Health insists private medical centres are no longer authorised to do the tests.
Dr. Ali Shakar, director-general of the Ministry of Health, told Gulf News anyone going for medical fitness tests at private centres ran the risk of getting their visa application rejected.
"For the time being, residency tests at private medical centres have been stopped," he said.
Maisa Al Bustani, director of medical fitness department at Dohms, told Gulf News the ministry was correct but added that it was ultimately up to the Ministry of Interior whether to accept the visa applications from medical tests done at private medical centres.
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