The Dubai Health Authority, DHA, and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs Dubai, GDRFA-Dubai, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, on the sidelines of the 37th edition of GITEX 2017 to promote medical tourism in Dubai, exchange knowledge and elevate health services offered at DHA facilities.

Humaid Al Qutami, Chairman of the Board and Director General of the DHA, and Major General Mohammad Al Marri, Director-General of the GDRFA-Dubai, signed the MoU.

It aims to strengthen Dubai’s position as a global destination for medical tourism by easing visa procedures for medical tourists entering Dubai.

As part of the MoU, both parties will also join hands in promoting their services, which support medical tourism in Dubai, on social media channels and through www.dxh.ae and www.dnrd.ae. They will also co-ordinate to establish a mechanism to issue visas for patients coming from abroad.

Furthermore, the MoU will make it easy for GDRFA-D employees to get health services in DHA hospitals and abroad. While the GDRFA-D will also simplify mechanisms for discharging long-term patients who are in the hospital.

As part of the MoU, both parties will hold workshops to familiarise employees and customers about their joint services, exchange knowledge and skills to achieve sustainable development and institutional leadership, and partner in electronic integration to facilitate services in the field of medical tourism.

Commenting on the MoU, Al Qutami emphasised the importance of collaborating with GDRFA-D, as it spares no effort in supporting the DHA’s goals especially those related to promoting Dubai as a number one destination for medical tourism.

He said the MoU provides an opportunity to implement initiatives and joint programmes that are in line with Dubai’s strategy adding that the MoU’s goals, which include exchanging knowledge, promoting medical services and supporting the authority’s medical services, serve all customers in Dubai and abroad.

Al Marri said that GDRFA-D spares no effort in strengthening its relations with Dubai governments and departments to support the developmental drive of all sectors in Dubai especially the health sector.

He said the MoU provides an opportunity to exchange knowledge, enhance services and elevate the level of health services provided in Dubai to ultimately achieve customer satisfaction.