UAE Health Ministry to set up 24-hour contact centre

Dubai: The Health Ministry will soon set up contact centre to answer any queries ranging from how to get a doctor's license to what examinations are needed to work as a nurse in the UAE, it was announced on Monday.

"The contact centre will provide varied services throughout the day and by connecting callers to various departments easily," said Humaid Mohammad Al Qutami, Minister of Health.

The Minister along with Abdullah Salem Al Mana, Etisalat general manager for Dubai region, witnessed the signing of a contract between the two organizations for the set up of the centre.

The centre will be manned by bilingual customer service staff and will be available 24 hours, said Dr Salem Al Darmaki, CEO of support services at the Ministry of Health. The centre will help address patient queries and provide information on various services of the Ministry, including its current network of hospitals and clinics. The hotline number will be announced soon, he said.

He said another project, the health information system project is underway and its first stage will start at Khalifa Hospital in Ajman and the Meshrif Healthcare Centre, with electronic services eventually spreading out to other medical zones. "These services will provide accurate information and convenience for patients and doctors as well as protecting the privacy of the information," he said.