DHA provides more than 83,000 telemedicine consultations

The Dubai Health Authority’s (DHA) Doctor for Every Citizen initiative has provided more than 83,000 telemedicine consultations during the last year.

Of the total number of consultations clocked between between January, 2020, and January, 2021, 7,251 were medical appointments for COVID-19 patients and 13,437 involved COVID-19-related queries such as vaccination eligibility and screening procedures.

The authority aims to provide community members with access to high-quality virtual care during and beyond the pandemic.
 
According to health officials, the DHA currently provides family medicine consultations, however, it plans to add more services in the future. These will include the smart diabetic clinic, smart occupational clinic, smart smoking cessation clinic and smart geriatric clinic.

Dr. Manal Taryam, CEO of Primary Healthcare at the DHA, said the initiative uses digital technology in healthcare to empower both health professionals and patients.

She clarified that since the launch of the service, the number of doctors have increased from 10 to 52 and the number of stations used for the virtual consultations jumped from six to 16.

Doctors were also trained in sign language to provide the service to people of determination.