Sharjah: The UAE government has been discussing and adopting various precautionary and preventive measures to battle the spread of COVID-19. The Ministry of Health and Prevention in the United Arab Emirates has recently launched a national awareness platform under the theme “Your Health Our Priority”.
“Your Health Our Priority” is a health database featuring all the recommendations, precautions, and guidelines of the World Health Organization, WHO, as well as the UAE’s health authorities. This platform is expected to strengthen the mechanism for assessing health cases. It also includes a COVID-19 Information Center to curb the spread of myths and misinformation regarding the pandemic.
One of the primary objectives of the “Your Health Our Priority” Platform is to help alleviate the flow of patients with normal cold or flu symptoms to health facilities in light of the current circumstances.
The Virtual Information Centre is divided into six main sections which will be available in five languages. These sections will provide scientific and health information. It is also an awareness platform featuring the latest information about the virus and ways to prevent it, as well as showing the updated stats on the number of infected cases in the UAE.
The main attraction of the Information Centre will be the “Virtual Doctor” service which helps those wishing to assess their health conditions if they suffer from symptoms similar to COVID-19. For these users will be asked a number of questions about the travel date, contact with others, symptoms, and other details.
However, this service is not concerned with emergency cases. In which case, users are advised to visit the nearest health clinic to undergo the necessary medical care to call the national ambulance number 998.
Prior to and after diagnosing the case, the virtual conversation will end up directing users to one of the doctors on call who will provide information and tips about how to deal with the case, in accordance with the diagnosis made during the conversation.
Frequently asked questions, FAQs, the feature is also available to answer all inquiries and questions related to the most important preventive measures that must be followed in order to avoid infection with COVID-19.
Awad Saghir Al Ketbi, Assistant Undersecretary of the Support Services Sector sais, “The ministry has reviewed and updated infection control policies and health guidelines to assist community members in obtaining reliable and accurate scientific facts. This would help enhance community awareness about the hazards of emerging coronavirus and ways to avoid infection.”
