COVID-19: Ministry of Health and Prevention adds more services to its Virtual Doctor Platform
New setup responds to queries on COVID-19, connects people with illnesses to doctors
Abu Dhabi: A series of additional telemedicine and health monitoring services have been added to the Ministry of Health and Prevention’s (MoHAP) Virtual Doctor platform.
In a statement on Monday, MoHAP said the new services will offer remote specialised care and medical consultations through digital means.
The designated medical staff will be working around the clock to streamline ways of communications with community members, and to raise awareness on best practices for infection prevention.
The Virtual Doctor Platform was launched following the COVID-19 outbreak, bringing together a highly qualified and well-trained staff to respond to public inquiries. The platform is available in a number of languages, including Arabic, English, Chinese, German, French, Indonesian, Russian and several Indian languages as well.
Emirati postgraduate doctors residing in Canada, Turkey and New Zealand are participating in the telemedicine services. More than 97,000 calls have been received so far with queries related to COVID-19.
24/7 virtual consultations
“MoHAP, in line with the directives of the UAE Government, is committed to promoting the quality of life and sustaining health-care services, with all COVID-19 preventive measures in place. This platform is providing round-the-clock proactive preventive services and virtual consultations to meet patient’s needs, and to curb health-care costs,” said Hussein Al Rand, undersecretary at the MoHAP’s Health Assistance, Health Centres, and Clinics sector.
Chronic disease consultations
Al Rand pointed out that the platform offers health awareness, consultations and guidance, thereby limiting misinformation and reaching out to a wide array of people from various nationalities. The service helps reduce the flow of patients with normal cold and flu cases, while also directing suspected patients of COVID-19 to health facilities.
“From assessing the case and consulting the doctor, to providing medications and accessing medical laboratories, we are currently in the process of upgrading the service to cover a wide range of medical consultations. Patients suffering from chronic diseases can also use the platform to follow up on their cases without the need to visit health centres,” the official said.
Awareness at the mall
In a bid to raise awareness on the importance of the Virtual Doctor Service, MoHAP has also set up a kiosk in Dubai, which will function until August 23.