Low-cost PCR testing available for workers in Dubai’s Jafiliya area
Economical PCR tests are now easily accessible for workers in Dubai with the opening of a testing centre near the immigration office in Jafiliya area.
The test is priced at Dh80 for workers and Dh125 for others.
The makeshift centre is easy to access when anyone needs to take a Covid-19 test before returning to their home country or switching jobs or visas.
The new unit officially opened yesterday and can conduct 1,000 PCR tests a day. It is set up at the car park outside the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, near Jafiliya metro station.
Tests are offered at Dh65 for immigration staff, and at Dh100 for their families.
“Travel has resumed and PCR samples are mandatory but there is nothing available at lower prices for labourers in Jafiliya,” said Dr Sanjay Paithankar, head of the Right Health group that runs affordable medical clinics for low-income workers across the UAE.
“Many workers visit the immigration office for a new visa, or they have a fine they need to settle before they leave for the airport. They need a PCR test for all this. Clinics normally charge Dh150 or more.”
The lowest price for PCR tests in Dubai is Dh50 at centres run by Seha, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company.
The service is now available in four locations in Dubai, of which three are drive-through centres.
Seha’s testing centres are available across the UAE, and cater to citizens, residents and tourists.
“We realised there needs to be a testing centre near a metro station to make it is easily accessible for workers and anyone else who needs a test as well,” Dr Paithankar said.
The new facility in Jafiliya quickly drew people from the neighbourhood, particularly people without access to private transport.
Arijit Malkith, a welder set to join a maintenance company, said cheaper tests in the city centre would benefit him.
“I don’t have my own car so reaching clinics costs money,” he said.
“I need to do many PCR tests in the next few weeks. This centre will save me a lot of money.”
The new centre will be open daily from 7am until 11pm.
Irfan Masood, an insurance sector employee, visited the immigration office to inquire about a lost ID card and decided to step in for a test.
“I was fortunate to spot this outside the GDRFA office so I didn’t have to go looking for a place that did PCR tests,” he said.
Right Health also runs two testing tents in Al Quoz and the Jebel Ali industrial area.