How Dubai’s new instant visa medical centre works

Utilising all these technologies will decrease the customer’s journey so that it doesn’t exceed 30 minutes, which includes stamping of the visa.”

Maisa Al Bustani,

Director of the medical fitness services department, DHA

Staff Reporter

Fitness tests just got smarter in Dubai with the opening of the emirate’s first autonomous visa medical centre powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Expect robots to greet you at the door, with all other innovations, including one that promises painless blood collection.

Give it 30 minutes, and you’re done — including visa stamping.

Called ‘Smart Salem’, the Dubai Health Authority’s (DHA) new medical fitness centre is located at City Walk. It targets VIPs, investors and holders of the golden residency visa in its first phase.

In partnership with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, Smart Salem was recently inaugurated by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council.

With limited human intervention on site, the new visa medical centre can get up to 150 people screened every day.

Completely paperless and with no data entry required, Smart Salem is considered the first autonomous government service in the country, said Maisa Al Bustani, director of the medical fitness services department at the DHA.

Internet of Things gets real

Smart Salem uses AI and Internet of Things (IoT) to significantly cut processing time and eliminate any error.

It is the first medical fitness centre in the region to use the world’s first push-button blood collection device, which allows for virtually painless blood collection. An electronic device can be used to identify the location of the vein before blood withdrawal, further easing the process.

Tuberculosis can also be diagnosed within seconds with chest X-rays, as Smart Salem uses the first AI healthcare tool for the procedure.

When it comes to measuring vital signs — such as blood pressure, temperature, height and weight — and checking medical history, an AI pod powered by IoT does the job.

This tech analyses the information and highlights risk parameters for the physician. Results will then be sent to the Salem system electronically.

“Utilising all these technologies will decrease the customer’s journey so that it doesn’t exceed 30 minutes, which includes stamping of the visa. It will also ensure that the customer has an entertaining and quick experience,” said Al Bustani.

Robots hired

Four robots have been employed at the centre, and they each have a specific function. One is for customer service, another is for relay, and then for catering and vending.

Aiming to guarantee comfort, convenience and happiness and transform the customer experience, the new centre’s launch falls in line with the Dubai paperless strategy, UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, and UAE Centennial 2071.