Dubai Health Authority received over 2 million health query calls in 2020

Dubai: In 2020, Dubai Health Authority’s (DHA) Contact Centre received 2,210,195 calls, out of which, 870,732 were related to COVID-19, according to a top DHA official.

Fatma AlKhajah, Director of the Customer Happiness Department at DHA added that 49,651 calls were received for booking appointments for the COVID-19 PCR test, while 124,780 calls were made to book appointments for the Doctor for Every Citizen service, which provides free 24x7 consultation and answers queries regarding COVID-19 via video and voice calls.

Call centre provides steady stream of services

Emphasising the role played by the call centre during the peak of the pandemic in 2020, AlKhajah said: “The centre maintained the quality of services provided and the speed of response, even with significant increase in the number of calls received, which at peak times totalled 18,000 calls a day. We have trained 270 employees and ensured that they are up-to-date with latest information, developments and approved decisions by concerned authorities. We also continuously monitor their performance to ensure excellence in providing services in accordance with the highest standards of professionalism and international practises in this field,” said AlKhajah. She added that 81,878 inquiries were received via the WhatsApp hotline service launched by the authority last April to answer queries related to COVID-19.

DHA’s texting and WhatsApp services

DHA’s WhatsApp hotline utilised artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen communication with the public and provide them with fast and easy access to accurate and trusted information from official sources. The 24x7 WhatsApp service continues to be available in English and Arabic for all residents and is updated regularly. Furthermore, 188,970 SMS messages were received and 272,129 chats were conducted via DHA’s official websites and the DHA app last year.

Call centre evaluation

AlKhajah further stressed upon the keenness of DHA to monitor, follow up and evaluate the performance of the call centre through a unified interactive panel that includes all indicators, to ensure excellence and effectiveness in providing services that meet and exceed customer expectations. She pointed out that the centre provides its services in six languages: Arabic, Urdu, Tagalog, Hindi, Malayalam and Chinese. The public can reach the DHA Contact Centre by calling 800DHA (800342).