The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) and the Emirates Health Services (EHS) showcased the latest updates of the Virtual Doctor Platform at the Arabi Health 2021, which takes place in Dubai from 21 - 24 June.
The digital platform is manned by a highly qualified and competent medical team providing remote specialized care and medical consultations around the clock, with the aim to improve ways of communication with community members and raise awareness of best preventive health practices.
The Virtual Doctor Platform falls under the telemedicine service and was launched at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. The platform comes in Arabic, English, Chinese, German, French, Indonesian, Russian, and several Indian languages.
Emirati postgraduate doctors residing in Canada, Turkey, and New Zealand are also taking part in the provision of platform services. So far, thousands of Covid-19 calls were received by the responsible medical team.
Chronic diseases covered
HE Dr. Hussein Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary of Health Centres and Clinics Sector, and Chairman of the National Committee for the Implementation of the Provisions of International Health Regulations and Prevention of Pandemics, said: "The Virtual Doctor Platform, the first platform of its kind to provide health awareness and information about several diseases including Covid-19. It's also a method to assess cases remotely, limit misinformation, and reach a wide spectrum of people from various nationalities."
The platform has contributed to lowering patients' flow and speeding up the response to suspected cases of Covid-19, he added.
Al Rand hinted that the ministry and the EHS working to make the service more comprehensive, including case assessment, medical consultation, medication services, and laboratory services. The service is also intended to provide remote medical consultations to patients with chronic diseases without the need to visit health centers.
24/7 remote consultations
He further said: "The provision of virtual consultations around the clock and the proactive follow-up of patients are part of the MoHAP's and EHS's commitment to improving the quality of life and the sustainability of health care, as per the general directions of the UAE government,". This would help reduce health care costs, he noted.
Awareness platform
Dr. Haifa Fares, Head of PHC Program Section, said: “The Virtual Doctor Platform aims primarily to reach a wider segment of society and bring them closer to offer them the health awareness and care through our smart technologies.”
She explained that the platform features interactive contactless screens displaying various disease categories. Having selected the category, the user will be engaged in a call with the medical staff to respond to the caller inquiries in an easy convenient manner."
Virtual Doctor service allows users to check their health conditions through a number of questions, including the person’s medical history and symptoms. According to the answers, the doctor will either provide health tips or guide the user to visit the health center.