COVID-19 screening centre in Dhafra opens today

Rania Al Ghazzawi / Mahmoud Mohsen, Staff Reporters

The Department of Dhafra Hospitals affiliated to the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company “Seha” opens today “Monday” the screening centre for covid-19 in Madinat Zayed, next to Madinat Zayed Council in Al Dhafra Region. The centre’s daily capacity reaches up to 300 people.

Jaber Ali Al-Marar, Executive Director of Support Services at Al Dhafra Hospitals said, “Until yesterday, we were working around the clock to ensure completion of all construction and technical preparations and readiness of facilities and paths, in addition to the availability of medical supplies needed for screening and the thermal detection devices. We made sure that the electronic system works efficiently and easily, and it is now ready to receive people to conduct the Covid-19 test.”

He explained that the tent, which includes the screening center in Madinat Zayed, has been designed in a manner different from the centre in the Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, in terms of the number of paths.

“This centre has two paths for vehicles, unlike the one in Abu Dhabi city which includes 4 paths,” he added.

The medical and nursing staff, as well as the technical teams who will operate the centers, are brought from Al Dhafra Hospitals in (Madinat Zayed - Liwa - Ghayathi - Commodities - Al Marfa - Delma), and with the support of the “Seha” company, and in cooperation with the Health Department in Abu Dhabi, he said.

He pointed out that the priority in booking via the toll free (8001717) or “Seha” smart application will be for the targeted groups, which include those with chronic disease, senior citizens, pregnant women, people of determination and those who have symptoms of infection with the virus.

With the opening of the two centers in the Al Dhafra region, automatically the smart application will be updated to add those two centers within the list of appointment options and places for booking.

The center will work daily to receive members of the community to conduct the screening for Covid-19 from vehicles except for Friday. It works from 8am until 12pm, and from 4pm until 8pm. 

Separately, the Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority (SRTA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and strategic partners, has started the implementation of the planning work of the screening centre for Covid-19 from vehicle. The centre is located in the Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club.

Abdullah Ahmed Hassan Al Ali, Deputy Director of Roads Maintenance Department, confirmed that the work carried out by the SRTA on the center’s site included planning four paths for vehicles to help them enter and exit the centre easily, as well as making the process of screening smooth and quick.  

He explained that the SRTA has started the works since last Thursday, and that it is continuing to complete the project in cooperation with a number of strategic partners including the GHQ of Sharjah Police and the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa).

He further noted that among the work carried out by the SRTA, is installation of 4 information signs on the main roads in the emirate, includes two on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, and two on Al Dhaid Road, in addition to internal to show paths, entrances and exits of the center.

It is worth mentioning that the establishment of the centres comes under directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

His Highness instructed to establish screening centers from vehicles for the Covid-19 nationwide, meeting the specifications of the center in Zayed Sports City In Abu Dhabi.

Those centres would be established in the emirates of Dubai and Sharjah, that would also serve the emirates of Ajman and Umm Al Quwain, in addition to one in Ras Al Khaimah, one in Fujairah, one in Al Ain and one Al Dhafra.