The Department of Health Abu Dhabi has temporarily suspended its international patient care services, amid a global coronavirus outbreak.
The department said the services were halted to "prioritise patients' health and safety".
Under the IPC programme, Emiratis living in Abu Dhabi are sent abroad for medical treatment, if treatment is not available in the Emirates. Similar programmes exist in each of the emirates.
It is unclear how long the services will be suspended but ,on Tuesday, the department said it would continue to work with authorities "to ensure that IPC patients have access to comprehensive, continuous and timely healthcare services ... until it is safe for patients to be sent abroad for treatment".
It is unclear if Emirati patients being treated abroad will be returned to the UAE.
