The Dubai Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohms) launched an all-new portal that offers online services, including applications and renewal of health cards, medical permits and downloadable forms.

With the launch of www.dohms.gov.ae, the new portal of the department, which could also be accessed from Dubai eGovernment's portal www.dubai.ae, Dohms, the first government department to fully integrate its systems with Dubai e-Government's advanced Content Management System (CMS), is on track to achieve the objective of providing services online through a user-friendly interface.

The suite of services being offered electronically will benefit corporate users and individuals. Corporate users can renew staff health cards online and apply for medical permits for new establishments or renew permits.

Residents can acquire or renew health cards electronically, apply for medical fitness certificates or seek information on any of the services.

"Dohms is a key department whose success depends on fruitful and effective interaction with a large number of people. We are delighted that the new portal, helped by the industry's leading systems provided by Dubai e-Government, has the capability of eliminating many physical constituents.

"It migrates the processes to electronic platforms and offering dramatically improved efficiency and speed," said Qadi Muroushed, Director General of Dohms.

"Driven by the ultimate Dubai eGovernment goal of delivering a majority of Dubai government services by way of electronic channels, and with the support of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry, and General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, Dohms revamped its portal to present a friendly face to all users, including those who are challenged by technology."

The site is easy to navigate and one can locate the service one wants in a few clicks. "We are pleased to say the system offers invaluable tools enabling participating departments to enrich their websites.

"We expect to benefit from it at several levels and achieve substantial cost savings with quicker transactions, apart from the advantage of sharing a common platform that brings great value additions to online services."

Muroushed said several features have been added to the portal, such as Customer Care, an online query system for users about services, logging complaints, an online 'Ask the Doctor' service and an informal online meeting place for parents and doctors.

Salem Al Shair, Director of eServices, said: "This is a milestone for the Dohms and the people of Dubai. The full integration of the Dohms systems with Dubai eGovernment's CMS dramatically raises the standard of service delivery.

"The Government Information Network (GIN), the engine of the eGovernment system, ensures the system is dynamic and secure. Dohms is guaranteeing that our support team is available round-the-clock to tackle malfunctions."

The portal has been designed along international standards, powered by the world's leading technologies. It offers government departments flexibility to access their websites and alter content at their convenience.

The content is stored in the central repository of Dubai eGovernment, giving other departments access to shared data.

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