Medical centres performing mandatory health tests on expatriates are being swamped with patients after new rules came into effect this year.

Many expatriates are having to queue for hours for the health tests, which are required for residence visas.

There are now only four Disease Prevention and Screening Centres in the emirate permitted to issue the health certificates required to obtain residency visas.Two are in the capital, one behind Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) and the other in Musaffah. The other two are in Al Ain and in Al Gharbia.

The Government decreed last summer that only selected public health centres could issue the certificates…SOURCE

But you still have to have a health card… So don’t throw it away just yet…

ID card to replace health card

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/08/11/27/10262946.html

11/27/2008 12:02 AM | By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter

Dubai: The Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday that the new Identity Card can replace the Health Card to obtain services at public hospitals.

Starting today, the ID card will replace the health card at medical facilities for those who have obtained it, Humaid Al Qutami, Minister of Health told Gulf News on Wednesday. But those who have yet to get the ID card can still obtain medical services using their health cards, he explained.

Earlier, the WAM news agency quoted a ministry circular issued to all directors and officials in health zones, hospitals and specialised health centres as saying that new health cards will not be issued without the ID card…