Government hospitals must not turn away Emiratis even if their Thiqa insurance cards have expired, reported Al Ittihad, the Arabic sister paper of The National.
A number of nationals have complained about being denied treatment when they failed to show a card.
Providers have been told to accept an ID card or family book as a provisional alternative.
"The citizen must be given treatment and then the process of renewing the insurance card will follow," said Marwan Al Nabulsi, deputy head of the health financing department at Health Authority-Abu Dhabi.
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