Abu Dhabi: Expatriates in the capital are encouraged to book an appointment for the visa-related medical test to avoid unnecessary delays.
Appointments can be made at Disease Prevention and Screening Centres (DPSC), which open at 7am, by calling the centres or the Ambulatory Health Services call centre.
Last week, Gulf News reported that Abu Dhabi residents faced long queues at the main DPSC on Hazza Bin Zayed Street with some people lining up outside the facility as early as 6am. A similar rush was also reported by residents at the Mussaffah area centre.
Dr Mubarak Al Darmaki, DPSC director at AHS, told Gulf News that arriving at these centres before 8am and on days other than Sundays and Mondays could help avoid the rush,
“On average, the two centres in Abu Dhabi get between 3,000 to 4,500 applicants daily. Each has a fixed daily capacity to process tests so as to provide quality services and ensure confidentiality,” Al Darmaki said. “Priority is given to those with appointments while others are attended to on a first-come-first-serve basis.”
The Hazza Bin Zayed Street centre gets more applicants than the one in Mussaffah, Al Darmaki said. He admitted that there is a high demand for walk-in appointments.
Residents had complained that although the Hazza Bin Zayed Street centre is open till 7pm, as mentioned on the DPSC website, they are refused appointments even when they visit the centre at 12pm.
“The centres continue to accept applications till the last moment when possible. Depending on the number of early morning clients, the centre’s capacity for same-day processing may be filled as early as 12pm,” Al Darmaki explained.
When this happens, people are advised to book appointments on following days. On days when the demand is less, walk-in appointments are given till closing time.
“The AHS management is working on a plan to increase the number of [DPSC] centres as well as their capacity in line with the growing population,” Al Darmaki said. He did not provide details.
The visa medical test has four steps: Details of the applicant are registered, a picture is taken, a general physical examination, including checks for infectious conditions like leprosy, is conducted and finally, a blood test is taken followed by chest imaging. Fees range from Dh250 to Dh350 per person.
The centres also offer fast-track and premium processing at extra cost. Residents can choose the centre where they would like to conduct the test.
Al Darmaki said factors affecting demand for the tests are immigration laws and economic conditions, such as the change in residency visa validity from three to two years for some residents, the linking of the Emirates ID with visas, and requirements for health insurance in other emirates.
In Abu Dhabi, visa-related medical tests are offered by the DPSC, which is managed by the AHS. The AHS itself is a part of the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), which manages all public health care facilities in the emirate.
