Over 760,0000 fitness tests for Dubai visas conducted in 2020

Dubai: The Dubai Health Authority has conducted over 760,000 medical fitness tests in 2020.

Medical fitness tests are a mandatory requirement for all expatriates and medical fitness screening is a prerequisite for a residency, employment or education visa in the UAE. The type of tests required is based on the customer’s category as per the UAE Federal Law.

Maisa Al Bustani, Director of DHA’s Medical Fitness Services Department said that out of the 764,113 tests, 664,329 were medical fitness tests while 99,784 were occupational screening tests.

Occupational Health Screening includes blood tests and physical or fitness assessments related to the employee’s occupation as per international guidelines. Occupational tests are based on client’s profession. There are currently 20 job professions and 300 categories in Dubai.

“There are currently 18 active centres spread across Dubai, 13 are Medical Fitness Centres and five are Occupational Screening Centres. The DHA makes sure that all these centres are geographically distributed across Dubai to ensure that residents are able to go to a centre that is in proximity to their homes,” said Al Bustani.

She added that medical fitness and occupational centres across Dubai have several medical fitness options available such as regular, VIP, 24 hour and 48 hour medical fitness service, which ensures the results are provided within the selected time frame.

Al Bustani also highlighted the ‘Salem’ medical fitness and occupational screening system, which is integrated to all medical fitness centres in Dubai. The system reduces customer’s waiting time, minimises human intervention and makes blood test and X-Ray results available electronically.

The system is integrated with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai so once the applicant completes all the screening procedures, the applicant will receive a SMS notification alert and the results sent via an email.

The DHA also offers the Tawajod service, which is a fast-track service that is highly beneficial for corporate employees. DHA employees visit the office or home of the individual who requested this service and conducts the medical fitness tests required on spot. For every request, a maximum of 70 employees are tested. This saves the time of the business community as their employees can get the test done in their offices.

A request for this service can be made via the DHA’s website.