Dubai: The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) medical fitness centre in Al Quoz Mall is now open to public after renovation, it was announced on Sunday.
Following the expansion from 5,000 square feet limited to one floor to a total of 22,000 square feet across two floors, the centre’s daily capacity has increased from 1,500 to 2,500 customers, the authority said.
The renovated centre includes treatment rooms, x-ray rooms, blood collection rooms and a blood-processing lab to name a few. It now also includes VIP services, where medical reports could be obtained within four hours. It also includes allocated halls for individuals, companies and domestic workers.
Inaugurated by Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General of the DHA, the centre has also launched newly developed services and medical equipment to better serve the customers.
The centre is one of DHA’s 14 medical fitness centres across the emirate for issuance and renewal of visas.
Al Qatami said the centre’s expansions are part of DHA’s many development plans that will include other specialisation centres and medical fitness centres in the near future.
“DHA plans on expanding its service reach geographically and by offering more specialised services in order to cater to all members of society, wherever they are,” he said in a press release.
Medical fitness tests that include blood tests and X-rays are a mandatory requirement for all expatriates in the UAE. It is required for a residency, employment or education visa.
Maisa Al Bostani, director of the Medical Fitness Services Department at DHA, said the fitness centre — which will operate from Sunday to Thursday, 7.30am to 9pm — underwent the expansion to better cope with the 1,500 customers it receives on a daily basis. She added that following the expansion the centre could now cater to 2,500 customers daily, reaching 50,000 customers a month.
She said on the occasions when there is a high demand, the working hours would be extended to meet the needs of all customers.
The total number of people who visited the DHA-run medical fitness centres during 2015 was 2,051,802. Of these, 843,085 were new applicants and the remaining were applicants for visa-renewals.
