Dubai: More than 185,000 telemedicine consultations provided since 2019

Since its inception, more than 185,000 consultations have been conducted through the telemedicine initiative launched by Dubai Health Authority in 2019.

The ‘Doctor for Every Citizen’ 24/7 telemedicine service was launched in December 2019 to achieve Article Five of the Fifty-Year Charter. DHA revealed these numbers during Arab Health on Thursday, January 27.

Last September, the DHA expanded the scope of the initiative and signed an MoU with The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to offer this service to UAE nationals abroad by providing teleconsultations as part of the authority’s Doctor for Every Citizen service.

So far, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has arranged 50 consultations with UAE nationals abroad.

Faisal Issa Lutfi, assistant undersecretary for consular affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said: "Emiratis who are abroad have used this service. They contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to report a health problem or if they need medical advice, the Ministry’s team transfers the case to the Dubai Health Authority, and the person is connected to a doctor through this telemedicine initiative.”

Dr Manal Taryam, the CEO of primary health care at the DHA is keen to further build on its digital health capabilities in order to provide the highest quality of accessible and convenient patient-centred care.