Emirate's oldest hospital to stop visa certification medicals

Dubai: The emirate's oldest hospital will stop offering medical fitness certification services this afternoon, ending its decade-old function. Services will now shift to a state-of-art medical complex.

Al Maktoum Hospital, which has been providing expatriates with their medical fitness certification since the 1990s, will transfer its responsibilities to the recently-launched Al Muhaisna Medical Fitness Centre, a one-stop visa fitness certification centre which can serve up to 5,000 people a day.

Maisa Al Bustani, director of the medical fitness department at Dohms, told Gulf News services at Al Muhaisna Medical Fitness Centre would begin on Sunday.

"We will not accept clients at Maktoum Hospital from Tuesday afternoon onwards. Beginning Sunday, we can take clients at Al Muhaisna Centre," she said.

Four-day gap

She said the four-day gap of services between Al Maktoum and Al Muhaisna was due to the transfer of services, adding health officials also needed time to make sure equipment and other items were in working order.

"Other centres (that offer medical fitness certification) are not be affected by the transfer and will continue their services as usual," she said.

Among the centres that offer the services are Al Safa PHC for executives, Satwa PHC for labourers and Al Twar for maids.

Expatriates have to undergo medical fitness certification every three years as part of their residency and employment visa requirements. Foreigners seeking to work and stay in the UAE are tested for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and Hepatitis B. Positive results mean visa denial.

Al Maktoum Hospital is one of the few centres which could perform the tests in Dubai after the UAE barred municipality clinics and private medical centres from issuing residency fitness certificates.