Up to 100,000 drivers in Dubai will be required to undergo medical tests, after the licensing agency at the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) announced it has started to issue occupational permits for some driver categories.
The change means that truck drivers, bus drivers, taxi drivers and private chauffeurs will be required to pass a medical test.
The tests will measure blood sugar and blood pressure as well as testing a variety of ailments, including eyesight, which might pose real risks during driving, said Sultan Al Marzooki, director of drivers licensing at RTA Licensing Agency.
The system will be implemented in phases to ensure the smooth flow and accessibility of service to customers, the RTA said.
Initially, the focus will be on ensuring that novice truck drivers are issued with medical fitness reports.
Drivers must obtain an approved health fitness report in accordance with the approved medical health fitness template used in the Emirate, aimed at attaining a higher standard of traffic safety on roads.
“The new tests will be conducted in several hospitals and clinics in the Dubai Emirate that have been meticulously selected based on high-class standards aimed at providing excellent medical and customer service experience in terms of the waiting time, service processing time, size of the waiting lounge and the spreading of these clinics to offer services in different parts of the emirate,” said Al Marzooki.
“Adopting the British Medical Standards as a model for the local standard sets the medical tests regime in Dubai at par with the systems applicable in the European Community, which are viewed among the best standards around.”