Mobile Laboratory Unit to conduct COVID-19 tests for senior citizens at their homes in Dubai

In line with the Government of Dubai’s efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services has announced the launch of its Mobile Laboratory Unit (MLU) as part of an initiative to provide free testing for the elderly and ‘people of determination’ at their homes.

The initiative was announced by Major General Talal Belhoul, Commissioner-General for the Security and Justice Track at Dubai Council, and Khalifa Bin Dray, Executive Director of Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services.

Health experts work inside the Mobile Laboratory Unit in Dubai. WAM

The Mobile Laboratory Unit plays a key role in reducing pressure on hospitals amidst the COVID-19 crisis and helps protect people at high risk. The MLU ambulance vehicles are fitted with equipment to welcome individuals, verify their identity and conduct COVID-19 testing.

To ensure the highest protection for paramedics, the MLU ambulance vehicles have an auto-sterilisation unit, thermal scanners, and safe storage cabins for collected samples. The re-purposed vehicles make it easy to serve the elderly and people of determination.

The launch of the Mobile Laboratory Unit is part of intensified precautionary testing being conducted to boost Dubai’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic as per the guidelines of Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai.

A health worker conducts a test inside the Mobile Laboratory Unit in Dubai.

Talal Belhoul, the Commissioner-General for the Security and Justice Track at Dubai Council, stressed that the various bodies of the Government of Dubai work as a team to combat the spread of COVID-19. "We work closely with each other to consolidate our efforts to fight the virus. New ideas are vital to further enhance our services for the benefit of society.

The Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services has successfully re-purposed ambulance vehicles to bring COVID-19 testing to the most vulnerable segments of society," he said.

Khalifa Bin Dray, Executive Director of Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, applauded the cooperation with Dubai Council and affirmed that the Corporation not only carries out testing for COVID-19, but also integrates the results into a national statistics pool that is used by other entities for tracking of people who have been in contact with active cases.