Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health (DoH) has reactivated its international remote healthcare offering, it has emerged.

In an announcement released by the United Arab Emirates’ official news agency, WAM, DoH’s International Patient Care (IPC) Division – which focuses on coordinating consultations and treatment plans between a patient, their local doctor, and consultant based outside of the UAE – has resumed. IPC services were temporarily suspended in March 2020 in order to prioritise the COVID-19 pandemic.

IPC is now available in the capital’s Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Tawam Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, and Burjeel Hospital.

WHY IT MATTERS

The aim of the IPC is to ensure continuous and streamlined communication between a patient and their doctors while they receive treatment abroad. According to the DoH Abu Dhabi, advantages include “conducting consultation sessions between the patient and both their local and international doctor, scheduling sessions between both doctors with the purpose of exchanging knowledge and expertise with regards to the patient’s treatment,” and “discussing medial information about the patient before traveling abroad or upon their return back to the country.”

It is hoped that the IPC platforms could also reduce the time it takes to facilitate treatment abroad.

ON THE RECORD

”The activation of IPC remote healthcare platforms reflects our commitment to continue providing world-class healthcare services to UAE international patients and ensure they receive the most suitable kind of healthcare,” said Hind Al Zaabi, acting director of the International Patients Care Centre at the DoH. “In these extraordinary times during the COVID-19 pandemic which imposed restrictions and challenges that made it difficult for patients to travel abroad for treatment, it was deemed necessary to create a platform that brought together treating doctors in the emirate with international physicians and patients to discuss their medical plans and cooperate to best serve the patients.

“Despite the huge challenges the entire world has faced, Abu Dhabi has proved the excellency and efficiency of its healthcare ecosystem in dealing with the pandemic and succeeded in providing world-class healthcare services to all members of the community as it remains at the forefront of our priorities.”