SEHA Completes Over 28,000 Virtual Consultations

The new Telemedicine Virtual Outpatient Clinic ensures continuity of treatment as the community observes social distancing 

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. April 16, 2020:   Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), the UAE’s largest healthcare network, has completed over 28,000 telemedicine virtual consultations within the first month of launch. 

The Telemedicine Virtual Outpatient Clinic, which launched in March, was introduced in collaboration with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi as a simple yet critical initiative to manage and minimize outpatient visitation to healthcare facilities, ensuring the community’s safety and seamless continuation of care as the nation combats the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a permanent service that will be available even after the end of the pandemic.

Outpatients who seek medical advice from facilities within the SEHA network are encouraged to consult their regular healthcare professional over the phone to ensure seamless continuation of treatment. New and existing patients can avail of this service by booking an appointment with the SEHA Call Center on 800 50. SEHA continues to work closely with long-term patients, including pregnant women, dialysis or oncology patients, to continue their treatment safely.
As the backbone of the healthcare system in Abu Dhabi with a legacy of advancing the Emirate’s medical sector, the government has empowered SEHA to deliver world-class healthcare facilities and services. 

As part of the initiative, once a patient is scheduled for and consents to a telemedicine consultation appointment, they will receive a call from the physician’s office to confirm patient details. The call will then be patched through to the physician or healthcare professional for the confidential consultation session. Once the call is complete, the patient will be able to access the consultation report through the SEHA app as per the normal process. If any medication is prescribed, it will be delivered via SEHA’s recently launched Medication Home Delivery service.

Rashed Saif Al Qubaisi, Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer, SEHA, said: “As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, we are actively looking at new and innovative ways to continue catering to the community’s healthcare needs. With the recent advancements in technology and medical innovation, the opportunities for technological solutions to efficiently care for our patients remotely during this time are endless. Staying indoors and practicing social distancing is paramount to the country’s response in fighting the pandemic and the Telemedicine Virtual Outpatient Clinic service has enabled our patients to continue caring for their health and regularly touch-base with their physicians, but from the safety of their homes.”

SEHA will continue to accept emergency and urgent care patients across its network of facilities.

Additionally, SEHA has introduced other strategic initiatives to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, including designating Al Rahba Hospital and Al Ain Hospital as facilities exclusively treating coronavirus and quarantine patients, establishing 14 drive-through testing facilities nationwide that have seen over 32,000 visitors to-date, introducing a dedicated WhatsApp hotline to respond to the community’s coronavirus-related concerns and questions, and easy access to medication by launching a medication home delivery service that has delivered over 3,500 prescriptions to patient homes, with additional deliveries to patients’ cars at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.