Important Notice to UAE Residents, Now your Emirates ID is your health card

UAE residents will soon be able to use their Emirates ID cards as health insurance cards as well, a move officials say will reduce fraud and misuse of medical insurance services. The Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD), the regulator of the health care sector in the capital, and the National Health Insurance Company, Daman, confirmed that they are working on replacing the electronic cards provided by the Daman application via mobile phones and smart devices with the existing health insurance cards, and on integrating the health insurance card data with the Emirates ID card by 2017.Currently, a patient has to present an Emirates ID card along with the insurance card while availing any service.

Hamad Al Mehyas, Daman Chief Process Officer, said in statements published by Al Ittihad newspaper today, that the plan of replacing the health insurance cards issued by Daman came after the success of the pilot tests, both on the smart phone applications and through the development of its systems to conform with the operational systems of the Emirates ID Authority. Al Mehyas added that the number of daily transactions recorded using the ID cards to identify Daman subscribers' records reached about four thousand transactions carried out by medical service providers. Daman has already distributed, in cooperation with the



Emirates ID Authority, about two thousand electronic ID card readers on the health facilities approved by Daman, so as to enable them to rely on the ID card in completing the subscribers transactions, in the aim of supporting the government initiatives related to the transformation toward smart services, and facilitating and accelerating the procedures of the subscribers in the various insurance programs when visiting the medical facilities. Al Mehyas explained that Daman has invested during the last period in its electronic systems and automation of operations, which contributed to raising the level of efficiency of services provided to subscribers, where the rate of review of medical claims that are not subject to human intervention reached 50% of the total claims. The Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD), the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA), Medical Services of the Armed Forces and Pure Health are part of the project. The project will improve the quality of health care and patient safety. The database can help in:- Assessing performance- Better automate the healthcare system- Ensure a smoother flow of digital information- Save previous medical history for the patient - creating a way to make better clinical decisions by providing the correct records and ensuring quick access to it.