du and Mobile Doctors launch 24/7 Physician Helpline to coincide with World Health Day

In partnership with Mobile Doctors 24/7 International who are licensed by Dubai Healthcare City, du launched a unique Physician Helpline– the latest addition to its roster of Smart Health services. This affordable around-the-clock phone service provides indispensable support to du’s customers by giving them access to licensed and experienced medical professionals at any time – day or night.
The launch coincides with World Health Day.In keeping with this theme, du and Mobile Doctors believe that every individual and family deserves to have immediate and unlimited access to quality physicians, regardless of patient location or time of the day. Mobile Doctors’ new service provides du customers with access to instant home care, telemedicine, telemonitoring and professionals with decades of clinical experience via a technology-enabled patient-centric approach to needed healthcare. At less than AED 1 a day (terms apply) – anyone, anywhere can now have access to a Mobile Doctors on-staff physician. This endeavour brings to life the vision of a healthy nation as laid out by the leadership of UAE.
“The 24/7 Physician Helpline is an invaluable service for our customers, giving them the reassurance that, no matter when or why they might need medical assistance, they will have a team of professional physicians available to them,” said Farid Faraidooni, Chief Commercial Officer, du. “We are very pleased to offer this service following a successful pilot project by Mobile Doctors. This fully operational and value-added initiative will prove as an essential tool in ensuring our customer’s well-being, all the while delivering measurable benefits to the insurance and corporate sectors as well.”
He added, “The Mobile Doctors Physician Helpline is another example of how the telecommunications industry is able to participate in the national healthcare ecosystem, for both the welfare of our customers and to support our government. By providing such mobile health services, we can reduce the burden of high cost healthcare on the public sector and improve capacity utilisation of quality healthcare across the UAE, thus saving funds that can be distributed elsewhere.”
The Mobile Doctors Physician Helpline was first made available to 40,000 select du customers by Mobile Doctors for a free of charge 60-day pilot project earlier this year. Statistics gathered by Mobile Doctors, du’s partner, have shown that, during the trial period, the majority of users were aged between 20–39 years-old (52{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10}). This is reflective of the socio-economic needs of this group, which includes dual-income families and on-the-move executives who are more likely to benefit from the mobile connectivity and on-demand services. Also very encouraging was that a quarter of patients were less than 12 years-old (26{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10}), thus increasing the availability of quality medical care for children.
Based on a satisfaction survey conducted, more than 80{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} of the respondents were pleased with the service and many were also eager to recommend it to their near and dear. The results of inquiries made to the Physician Helpline during the pilot project resulted in 78{e1f18614b95d3cd6e4b3128e1cd15d99b042a60a5a19c19b7a8e07e7495efa10} of the cases being satisfactorily resolved over the phone; patients were also successfully assessed, with questions answered and issues resolved in a timely manner. This proved tremendously convenient by avoiding unnecessary and costly visits to healthcare facilities. Those who needed it were referred to quality healthcare providers who are members of the partner network that Mobile Doctors is working with in the UAE.
According to Dr. Jamie McReynolds, Chief Medical Officer of MD24-7, “Many patients find that they or their family members are faced with symptoms that leave them unsure of what is needed exactly.  Subsequently, they may feel that the Emergency Room is their only choice.  Mobile Doctors is able to help patients with any symptoms to assess and understand their affliction, so that the right decision can be made.”
This novel service can be subscribed as a 6-months plan, for both individuals and families. As a special introductory offer, the Physician Helpline service is also available to our customers at AED 29 for a Full Day trial package. This is valid for 24 hours and includes as many unlimited duration calls as needed and will also be supplemented by personalised follow-up calls from Mobile Doctors when needed. To avail this service, du customers can SMS “MD” to 9167 and start using the Physician Helpline anytime. More information is available on www.du.ae/mobiledoctorsor by calling 800-MD247 (800-63247).
Mobile Doctors has the Physician Helpline manned by certified and DHCC licensed physicians with experience in all areas of medicine and working in shifts around the clock. This team is capable of handling 4000 calls on a monthly basis, and is rapidly scalable if required.