The COVID-19 pandemic is a global challenge that highlighted the necessity of updating the health sector’s methods of operating and improving digital health services and telemedicine.
The digital health services provided by the UAE during the pandemic have helped ensure the safety of the community and offered healthcare services without requiring people to travel to medical facilities.
The country’s health sector also invested in the national telecommunications sector, to overcome obstacles and exceptional conditions resulting from the pandemic, through the development of a comprehensive system that offers telemedicine, diagnosis, follow-up and pharmacy services offered remotely, which supported social distancing measures and protected patients and medical staff from potential infection.
The World Health Organisation, WHO, believes that the future of the health sector will involve mobile applications and Artificial Intelligence. A global virtual dialogue is currently being organised to identify digital health technology priorities, which will take place from 25th to 27th October, 2020.
Dr. Farida Al Hosani, Official Spokesperson of the UAE Health Sector, stated that telemedicine has helped reduce the number of patients in medical facilities, especially elderly people and those with chronic diseases.
Al Hosani stressed that three key aspects to utilising telemedicine, which are assisting elderly people and those with chronic diseases and enabling them to avoid leaving home; delivering medicines to their homes; and treating coronavirus patients whose conditions do not require their presence in hospitals.
The country’s telemedicine system is also being used to facilitate vaccination programmes and implement prevention and awareness programmes, she added.
The Ministry of Health and Prevention launched an e-platform titled, "Virtual Doctor to combat COVID-19," which aims to help people assess if their symptoms are related to COVID-19.
The Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with "Injazat Data Systems," developed the remote healthcare application for smart devices, which enables users to access health services easily and safely, with the possibility of receiving primary diagnosis remotely.
The Abu Dhabi Health Services Corporation, SEHA, began offering telemedicine outpatient services in March 2020, in coordination with the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi.
In December 2019, the Dubai Health Authority launched the smart service, entitled, "A Doctor for Every Citizen," which offers Emiratis a free remote medical consultation and an audio-visual call with a doctor.