Abu Dhabi 24/7

Foreigners visiting UAE must undergo medical check-ups for contagious diseases

Wednesday, 2, July 2008 Source : Khaleej Times

Foreigners who come to the UAE to live, study or work for a period not less than six months will now have to undergo medical check-ups for some contagious diseases, like HIV/Aids, Hepatitis-b and leprosy. Humaid Mohammad Al Qutami, Minister of Health, has issued a new ministerial decree making it compulsory for all expatriates coming to the UAE to live, study or work to undergo the medical tests. In the case of Hepatitis-b test, the decree states that a foreigner who enters the UAE to live, study or work shall undergo the test in two phases, the first test will be conducted during the first entry into the country, but during the renewal of residence permit only six categories of expatriates will undergo the test. They include babysitters, maids, private drivers, kindergarten and nursery supervisors, barbers, beauty, health and fitness club employees and workers of all food outlets, including cooks and butchers. The procedure for the second phase will be determined based on the result of the first phase, said the decree. In the case of hepatitis-c test, the decree calls for more technical studies on the disease before a final decision would be taken. But the decree calls for syphilis and pulmonary tuberculosis test on foreigners during their first entry to the UAE. Those who tested positive can stay in the country, but must undergo the necessary medical treatment. Leprosy test would be conducted on every expatriate who enters the country to live, study or work during the first entry and during renewal of residency. Those who tested positive would be deported in accordance with the rules. Only the Preventive Medicine Department of the Ministry of Health, Abu Dhabi Health Authority and Dubai Health Authority will conduct the medical tests, said the decree. Dubai - Gulf News

MoH reviews decision on medical test

Wednesday, 2, July 2008 Source : Khaleej Times

Following intense discussions, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has reviewed its decision on including the infectious disease, Hepatitis C, in the new set of medical fitness tests required by expatriates taking up study, residency or employment in the UAE. Leprosy was, however, included in the list of tests. In a ministerial decree issued by the Minister of Health Humaid Mohammed Obaid Al Qutami yesterday, the MoH officials cited the need for more technical studies on inclusion of Hepatitis C before a final decision was taken. However, MoH sources said the decision was deferred due to logistic reasons, including the huge number of infected people willing to enter the country, especially from the Indian subcontinent. The decree also calls for treating expats for syphilis and TB instead of the earlier policy of deporting them. The deportable disease list now only includes HIV/AIDS. As reported by Khaleej Times yesterday, expats will have to undergo a urine and stool test for certain professional categories, including nannies, maid servants, private drivers, kindergarten and nursery supervisors, workers in saloons, beauty, health and fitness clubs, and in all food outlets, including cooks and butchers. However, MoH sources said a decision to include university students in this category was also being mulled. Vaccination for Hepatitis B has also been made compulsory. All residents will either be required to hold a health card that will cost Dh300 -a fee that remains unchanged -or a valid health insurance policy. Tests for HIV, TB, and Hepatitis B will be carried out for Dh250, while Dh50 each will be charged for stool and urine tests, and only for the first dose of the Hepatitis vaccine. The other two required doses will be administered free of charge over a period of six months. If the resident does not hold a health card and has a valid health insurance policy, Dohms will charge Dh200 to attest the insurance before the screenings are done.

Abu Dhabi crackdown on satellite TV dishes



Source : Khaleej Times 23 July 2008

ABU DHABI - The Abu Dhabi Municipality will from today crack down on residents who have installed satellite dishes in balconies and other places, a practice which affects the city's image, said a municipality official. Those who violate the regulations risk a fine of Dh1,000, he added.

Residents who do not have access to cable TV may install normal satellite dishes on the roofs of their buildings provided they are not visible to the public and not installed in the balconies or elsewhere, said Engineer Omar Al Hashimi, Head of City Image Management Section of Abu Dhabi Municipality.
The same restraints are applicable to cable TV supplies which must be completely concealed because the city's image is foremost, he maintained.
Al Hashimi told Khaleej Times, 'Lack of space on the roofs is not an excuse to install satellite dishes in places that affect the city's image.'
Months ago, the Abu Dhabi Municipality had warned residents not to install TV dishes in their balconies or atop their buildings. They were asked to avoid squatter settlements - known as shanty towns - as well, to help maintain the city image, Al Hashimi pointed out. Old buildings, whose occupants have not subscribed to cable TV services, would not be disturbed and no one would be forced to subscribe to cable TV services, Al Hashimi clarified.
Eng. Samir Al Gashi, Manager of E-Vision in Abu Dhabi, told Khaleej Times, 'The municipality's resolution to remove normal dishes from roofs and balconies have driven a majority of community members to subscribe to e-vision cable services of Etisalat which provides high-quality services and maintenance and the option for subscription to the encrypted packages and improve them every three months.'

RTA launches car pooling web site


Source : Khaleej Times 23 July 2008

DUBAI - Finally, car pooling is here! The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) yesterday launched the car pooling web site www.sharekni.ae which would allow interested people to register and use the service.

Senior RTA officials said people can directly log on to this web site or can access it by entering the RTA website www.rta.ae. [/font]
Abdul Aziz Malik, CEO of the Taxi Agency and the acting CEO of the Public Transport Agency, said that the web site consists of detailed data of both motorists and passengers intending to use car pooling services.
People would first have to register with the web site in order to use the service.
The free registration would give them a username and a password.
For example, a motorist can leave his personal and professional details which consist of his name, name and location of the organisation he works for, office and mobile phone numbers, vehicle registration number, and the place (emirate) where he lives.
Now, a person looking for a car pooling service can visit the web site, register himself and click the quick search button and search for the right driver who suits him. Once the person is satisfied, he can contact the particular driver and request.
It will be the choice of the driver to accept the person or not. Only four people, including the driver, are allowed in one car," he said.
The web site would have detailed information of both motorists as well as the ones looking for motorists. A motorist has got every right to choose any passenger he wants to.
He can be working in the same organisation or any other place. A motorist who lives in Deira and works in Al Ghusais can very well choose a person who works in Karama. Once the motorist has chosen his group, the RTA would give him a permit, which would consist of his name as well as the names of his companion
The permit needs to carried by the motorist. The RTA would be thoroughly checking all the details filled in by the website users during the registration. This will prevent any ideas and instances of cheating
The fine for those who are caught cheating is Dh5,000 for the first offence," the official added.
Malik said that any motorist wishing to change any companion could do so.
In this case, the name in the permit would be changed. Moreover, cash exchange is not allowed between the passengers and the car owner.
However the car owner can be compensated by paying the gas price," he said

No foul play here!



Source: Khaleej Times 22 July 2008

DUBAI — The many wannabe drivers who repeatedly fail in their driving tests would now be dealt by the 'Driving Test Committee', in case they appeal to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) alleging foul play, a senior RTA official told Khaleej Times recently.

The Director of Licensing Department, Ali Jasim, said the special test would be for those who have failed for five times or more.
The Driving Test Committee has been introduced in response to the complaints by students who have failed driving tests a number of times. The aim is to verify the validity of the complaints by the students by conducting another driving test combining the feedback from two senior RTA examiners," he said.
The official clarified that those who had failed five times in their driving tests and are presently obtaining additional driving lessons would be screened by not one, but two examiners during their final road test.
If they appeal to the Licensing Department at the RTA alleging that there has been foul play, the case would be taken up by the committee. The idea is to ensure that that there are no mistakes made by the examiners and that the person appearing in the test is fully satisfied. Also, the RTA is making efforts to introduce competent and well-mannered examiners as well as instructors," he said.
Many people who failed in the driving tests have alleged that the examiners had failed them for little or no reasons. "I had started taking driving lessons in December last year and have been failed four times already. In the last test, the examiner failed me for wrong overtaking, as he said. I have been driving for years in India and I seriously think that I had made no mistakes. More importantly, the examiners are rude and their attitude confuses the licence seekers most of the times," alleged Muhammed Mohsin, The people also said that the 'Driving Test Committee' would not make much of a difference.
I don’t think that it would help. In Sharjah, there are two examiners taking the tests and most of the licence seekers fail many times as there is a difference of opinion among the examiners. While one would think that you are driving perfectly, the other would come up with a flaw ruining your chance. In the case of just one examiner, there is at least a chance of success," said Parthasarthi Roy, another bank employee.

Amit Kumar Sharma, who works with a real estate company, however, differed stating that with two examiners, the tests would be more focused as both examiners would understand all aspects of one's driving skills.

Traffic violations, fines and black points

Gulf News

List of black points for traffic offences in the UAE.

Violations, fines and black points
No.	Violation	Fine	Black points	In presence/ In absentia	Days*
1	Driving dangerously (racing)	2000	12	Both	30
2	Driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or similar substances	Decided by court	24	Both	60
3	Driving a vehicle without number plates	1000	24	In presence	60
4	Causing death of others	Decided by court	12	In presence	30
5	Not stopping after causing an accident that resulted in injuries	Decided by court	24	Both	60
6	Reckless driving	2000	12	Both	30
7	Exceeding maximum speed limit by more than 60km/h	1000	12	Both	30
8	Driving in a way that is dangerous to the public	1000	12	Both	30
9	Jumping a red light	800	8	Both	15
10	Running away from a traffic policeman	800	12	Both	30
11	Dangerous overtaking by trucks	800	24	Both	60
12	Causing a car to overturn	Decided by court	8	Both
13	Causing serious injuries	Decided by court	8	In presence
14	Exceeding maximum speed limit by not more than 60km/h	900	6	Both
15	Exceeding maximum speed limit by not more than 50km/h	800		Both
16	Overtaking on the hard shoulder	600	6	In presence
17	Entering road dangerously	600	6	Both
18	Causing moderate injury	Decided by court	6	Both
19	Heavy vehicle lane discipline	600	6	Both
20	Overtaking from a prohibited place	600	6	In presence
21	Causing serious damage to a vehicle	Decided by court	6	In presence
22	Exceeding maximum speed limit by not more than 40km/h	700		Both
23	Parking in fire hydrant places, spaces allocated for people with special needs and ambulance parking	1000	4	Both
24	Exceeding maximum speed limit by not more than 30km/h	600		Both
25	Driving against traffic	400	4	In presence
26	Allowing children under 10 years old to sit in the front seat of a vehicle	400	4	In presence
27	Failure to fasten seat belt while driving	400	4	In presence
28	Failure to leave a safe distance	400	4	In presence
29	Failure to follow the directions of a traffic policeman	400	4	Both
30	Exceeding maximum speed limit by not more than 20km/h	500		Both
31	Entering a road without ensuring that it is clear	400	4	In presence
32	Exceeding permitted level of car window tinting	500		In presence	30
33	Not giving way to emergency, police and public service vehicles or official convoys	500	4	Both
34	Driving a heavy vehicle that does not comply with safety and security conditions	500		In presence	30
35	Failure to stop after causing an accident	500	6	Both	7
36	Driving a noisy vehicle	500		Both	30
37	Allowing others to drive a vehicle for which they are unlicensed	500		In presence
38	Loading a heavy vehicle in a way that may pose danger to others or to the road	500	6	Both	7
39	Overload or protruding load from a heavy vehicle without permission	500	6	Both	7
40	Driving a vehicle that causes pollution	500		Both
41	Stopping on the road for no reason	500	4	In presence
42	Stopping on a yellow box	500		Both
43	Not giving pedestrians way on pedestrian crossings	500	6	Both
44	Failure to abide by traffic signs and directions	500		Both
45	Throwing waste from vehicles onto roads	500	4	Both
46	Refusing to give traffic police name and address when required	500	In presence
47	Stopping vehicle on the left side of the road in prohibited places	500	Both
48	Stopping vehicle on pedestrian crossing	500	Both
49	Teaching driving in a training vehicle that does not bear a learning sign	500	Both
50	Teaching driving in a non- training vehicle without permission from licensing authority	500	In presence

List continued here :

51	Placing marks on the road that may damage the road or block traffic	500	Both
52	Operating industrial, construction and mechanical vehicles and tractors without permission from licensing authority	500	In presence	7
53	Modifying vehicle’s engine without permission	400	In presence
54	Modifying vehicle’s chasses without permission	400	In presence
55	Changing vehicle’s colour without permission	400	In presence
56	Exceeding maximum speed limit by not more than 10km/h	400	Both
57	Driving with a driving license issued by a foreign country except in permitted cases	400	In presence
58	Violating the terms of the driving license	300	In presence
59	Parking behind vehicles and blocking their movement	300	Both
60	Towing a vehicle or a boat with an unprepared vehicle	300	In presence
61	Driving a vehicle that omits gases or fumes with substances exceeding permitted rates	300	Both
62	Leaving a vehicle on the road with its engine running	300	Both
63	No lights on the back or sides of trailer container	200	Both
64	Lights on the back or sides of container not working	200	Both
65	Taxis, which have designated pickup areas, stopping in undesignated places	200	4	Both
66	Prohibited entry	200	4	Both
67	Blocking traffic	200		Both
68	Vehicle unfit for driving	200		Both	7
69	Driving a light vehicle that does not comply with safety and security conditions	200		Both	7
70	Not lifting exhaust of trucks	200		Both	7
71	Not covering loads of trucks	3000		Both	7
72	Using vehicle for purposes other than designated	200	4	In presence	7
73	Heavy vehicle prohibited entry	200	4	Both	7
74	Violating loading or unloading regulations in parking	200	4	In presence	7
75	Carrying and transporting passengers illegally	200	4	In presence	7
76	Writing phrases or placing stickers on vehicle without permission	200		Both
77	Not taking road safety measures during vehicle breakdowns	200		Both
78	Turning at undesignated points	200	4	Both
79	Turning the wrong way	200	4	Both
80	Loading a light vehicle in a way that may pose a danger to others or to the road	200	3	Both	7
81	Overload or protruding load on light vehicles without permission	200	3	In presence	7
82	Stopping vehicle without keeping the distance specified by the law from a curve or junction	200		Both
83	Transporting passengers by vehicle undesignated for this purpose	200	4	In presence
84	Sudden swerve	200	4	In presence
85	Driving a taxi without required license	200	4	In presence
86	Carrying passengers in driving-training vehicle	200	4	In presence
87	Driving a taxi with an expired warranty	200		In presence
88	Reversing dangerously	200		Both
89	Taxi refusing to carry passengers	200	4	Both
90	Falling or leaking load	3000	12	Both	30
91	Not securing vehicle while parked	200		Both
92	Parking in prohibited places	200	2	In presence
93	Parking in loading and offloading areas without need	200		In presence
94	Parking on road shoulder except in cases of emergency	200		In presence
95	Using multi-coloured lights	200		Both
96	Not wearing helmet while driving motorbike	200	4	Both
97	Exceeding passenger limit	200	3	In presence
98	Driving with tires in poor condition	200		In presence	7
99	Driving with an expired driving license	200	3	In presence
100	Not renewing vehicle registration after expiry	400		In presence

More fines :

101	Driving unlicensed vehicle	200		In presence	7
102	Violation of laws of using commercial number plates	200		In presence
103	Not fixing number plates in designated places	200	2	In presence
104	Driving with one number plate	200	2	In presence
105	Driving at night or in foggy weather without lights	200	4	In presence
106	Using unmatching number plates for trailer and container	200		Both
107	Not fixing reflective stickers at the back of trucks and heavy vehicles	200		Both
108	Not using indicators when changing direction or turning	200	3	In presence
109	Not giving way for vehicles to pass on the left	200		Both
110	Not giving way to vehicles coming from the left where required	200		Both
111	Stopping a vehicle in a way that may pose danger or block traffic	200	3	Both
112	Failure to have vehicle examined after carrying out major modification to engine or body	200		In presence	7
113	Using training vehicles outside of timings specified by licensing authority	200		In presence
114	Using training vehicles in places not designated by licensing authority	200		Both
115	Overtaking from the right	200	4	Both
116	Overtaking in a wrong way	200	3	In presence
117	Driving an unlicensed vehicle	200		In presence	7
118	Abuse of parking space	200	3	Both
119	Number plates with unclear numbers	200	3	Both
120	Violating tariff	200	6	Both
121	Light vehicle lane discipline	200	2	Both
122	Parking vehicles on pavement	200	3	Both
123	Not showing vehicle registration card when required	200		In presence
124	Not showing driving license when required	200		In presence
125	Not fixing taxi sign where required	200		Both
126	Not fixing a sign indicating licensed overload	200	3	In presence
127	Using interior lights for no reason while driving	100		In presence
128	Failure to abide by specified colour for taxis or training cars</