As a dynamic urban center for trade, tourism, and innovation – particularly with its remarkable ports – Dubai is home to many new health facilities, and the Mina Rashid Screening Center is one of its most established. Located within this busy setting, the Mina Rashid Screening Center is a bona fide health Center providing timely and dependable screening services as part of the city’s multifaceted lifestyle. Whether it is for ocean-going mariners preparing for voyages or residents searching for routine checks, the Mina Rashid Screening Center will provide modern, effective screening services for today’s clients.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the Mina Rashid Screening Center to discuss its services, role, and some practical tips for a smooth experience.

What is the Mina Rashid Screening Center?

The Mina Rashid Screening Center serves as a unique health care service located within Port Rashid in Dubai. The center focuses on disease prevention and provides a variety of healthcare-related services to maintain high standards of public health. People come to the center to get a quick diagnosis for illnesses, screening required by employers or residency programs, or to receive routine medical checks on their health. The Mina Rashid Screening Center is notable for its low costs and fast results, further demonstrating the UAE’s commitment to providing accessible healthcare to residents, visitors, and workers in Dubai, without breaking the bank for staff, travelers, and tourists.

While primarily providing healthcare services to the maritime industry, it is a public healthcare service, offering services from basic lab work to advanced standalone diagnostic services in the community to help people achieve their health requirements for employment or before traveling, general health and wellness checks. The Mina Rashid Screening Center is known for its efficiency, with the latest lab and diagnostic equipment, staffed with senior lab and diagnostic professionals prepared to take the patient’s health requirements for employment, even travel, or simply for health or wellness into quick, comprehensive care. In a fast-moving location like Dubai, being able to manage your health is a unique way of addressing the challenge of maintaining the urgent nature of health-responsive care without compromising care.

What makes it unique ties back to its port integration. Mina Rashid has historically functioned as a major hub for trade and cruises, and the screening center prioritizes health in this active zone. It started to fill the demand for dependable medical checks, particularly for mobile workers like ship crews and cruise personnel. Since then, it has grown to encompass community health initiatives, turning it into a reliable option for preventive measures.

Location and How to Get There

Positioned within Port Rashid, the Mina Rashid Screening Center lies close to the Seafarers’ Club and Dubai Customs. This central placement benefits marine staff, cruise visitors, and locals from neighborhoods such as Al Raffa, Bur Dubai, and Al Mina. Its spot in the heart of Dubai connects it well to major roads, steering clear of remote access issues.

Reaching it stays simple. Drivers can enter via the port’s main gate, following signs straight to the center. Parking is available at the entrance, but it gets crowded during high-traffic periods. Public transport options include the Al Ghubaiba Bus Station for buses, then a quick 10-minute taxi hop. The Green Line metro also stops at Al Ghubaiba for easy transfers. Ride-sharing like Careem or Uber can drop riders right at the door, just specify “Mina Rashid Screening Center.”

Steer clear of peak hours to dodge port congestion. Entry involves a fast security ID check that doesn’t drag on. The site’s mix of harbor atmosphere and city convenience brings a distinct vibe, complete with ship and sea views that highlight Dubai’s seafaring heritage.

Who Uses the Mina Rashid Screening Center?

A varied group depends on the Mina Rashid Screening Center, including visitors, residents, expatriates, and business clients. Marine employees lead the pack, given its tailored support for things like pre-sailing health verifications. Cruise passengers frequently visit for necessary tests before embarking or upon arrival.

Expats rely on it for residency extensions, where obligatory exams align with UAE health guidelines. Companies dispatch staff for yearly assessments or group programs, valuing the center’s speed. Nearby residents pop in for everyday tests, attracted by its ease and official DHA endorsement.

It also draws in people requiring approvals for work permits or trips, especially to places with tough health mandates. As global mobility picks up in 2025, it remains a trusty resource for health-focused individuals navigating demanding schedules.

Types of Tests and Services Offered

The Mina Rashid Screening Center offers an extensive lineup of tests and services. General check-ups feature Complete Blood Count (CBC), cholesterol assessments, blood pressure monitoring, diabetes evaluations like FBS or HbA1c, kidney and liver function analyses, and vitamin checks for D and B12.

For job and residency purposes, it includes chest X-rays, blood screenings for HIV and Hepatitis B & C, urine tests, and TB detection, with outcomes available in 24-48 hours. Infectious disease options encompass COVID-19 PCR (regular and fast-track), influenza A/B, hepatitis series, HIV, syphilis, and TB.

Cancer detection services provide mammograms, PSA for prostate, occult blood with colonoscopy links, HPV, and Pap smears. Imaging covers digital X-rays and ultrasounds. Vaccinations range from COVID-19 (as available), flu jabs, to travel essentials like typhoid, Hepatitis A/B, and yellow fever.

Additional specialized efforts include business health bundles, mobile testing units, and public drives such as complimentary mammograms or cardiovascular awareness events. This broad selection addresses both standard and pressing health demands.

Required Documents for Testing

Heading to the Mina Rashid Screening Center calls for straightforward prep; pack your Emirates Identity Card, passport, and any employer or doctor referral notes. These essentials accelerate sign-in and link you to appropriate services.

Travel-specific tests require your schedule or booking proof. Share contact info for result notifications through email or SMS. Masks are suggested in certain zones, even if not required everywhere. Prepping these items minimizes delays and streamlines the whole trip.

How to Book an Appointment

Securing a slot at the Mina Rashid Screening Center keeps things easy. Dial the toll-free line at 800-1717 to arrange one. Walk-ins get accommodated, though busier times mean extended queues.

Digital booking stands out via the UAE Health Services Portal, letting you choose services, slots, and verify with your Emirates ID. The DHA app delivers comparable mobile convenience. Reservations prove smart for quick tests or peak cruise times to guarantee availability.

On-site flow starts with registration, payment, and then sample gathering. Personnel assist throughout, maintaining smooth operations.

Opening Hours

The center’s timetable suits Dubai’s energetic pace, running from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Sundays through Thursdays and Saturdays. Fridays are trimmed to 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Holiday schedules may shift, so verify via the portal or a call.

These hours flex for night-shift folks and voyagers, allowing visits that sync with daily demands.

Costs and Processing Times

Pricing at the Mina Rashid Screening Center remains budget-friendly. Basic packages start at 120 AED; fuller ones reach 300 AED. Standard COVID-19 PCR tests go for 50 AED, while job screenings cost 250 AED. PCR tests range from 150-300 AED, depending on speed.

Perks include discounts up to 30% for students, no-cost options for those over 60, and reduced rates for laborers. Payments are accepted in cash, cards, or insurance tied to your Emirates ID.

Turnarounds differ: Blood work wraps in 24-48 hours; express COVID PCR delivers same-day or within 24 hours. Sessions span 30 minutes to two hours based on volume and needs. Results come digitally or for collection.

Conclusion

Overall, the Mina Rashid Screening Center has a vital role within the health ecosystem of Dubai by helping to connect people living or working within the port’s reach. Although it’s located within a port facility that recognizes the heritage of Dubai’s maritime roots, it is also a convenient facility for anyone coming to, or through the port, and gives the result of the analysis completed either before traveling, renewing a passport, or anyone wanting to be proactive towards their health. The Screening Center has the full range of testing, from standard bloodwork to health assessments, all of which should be accessible to any healthcare need, with an efficient booking process and affordable prices that change the perception of fear of seeking treatment.

Dr. Saniya Habboub: Lebanon’s Quiet Revolution in White Coats

In 1931, a Lebanese woman stepped onto a stage in Pennsylvania bearing an American medical school diploma as the first Arab graduate. The crowd broke into applause, but for Saniya Habboub, the applause rang out in the streets of Beirut, where doors had been shut for women like her for centuries. Entering this profession at the time meant resisting familial expectations, enduring societal pressure, and potentially risking her own health. She found a way forward. But what inspired her? It was a mother’s whispered promise on a train, a father’s quiet encouragement, and a fire found deep within her soul that refused to go out.

This article follows her footsteps from the markets of Beirut to Lebanon’s frontlines of healthcare, showing how the grit of one doctor changed pathways for many women after her – and continues to do so.

Roots in a Changing Beirut

Saniya Habboub was born in 1901, in the lively Ain Mreisse neighborhood of Beirut, where the aroma of leather tanneries converged with the sound of the call to prayer. Her father, Mustapha Habboub, a self-made man, was a merchant who built and grew his business with remnants. He hosted poets and intellectuals in their home. As children, Saniya and her siblings were exposed to evenings filled with discussions on literature and reform that sparked their curiosity. Her mother was Adla al-Jazairy, a Turkish woman who was illiterate, and the lack of education gave her extra motivation. On the train ride from Istanbul to Beirut, she had observed a European lady read a newspaper and vowed to her husband, “if I have a daughter, she will do that too”. Saniya, the second of five children, was the fulfillment of that promise.

Not all of Saniya’s experiences were mind-expanding. When she was 14, typhoid fever hit like a ton of bricks. For a full month, Saniya lay in and out of consciousness, and then awoke only to discover that her younger sister, Afifeh, had passed while lying in the other bed. The fever left a permanent mark, namely phlebitis in her left leg, which caused her to drag her foot for the rest of her life. But rather than retreating, those early blows appeared to harden her resolve. After Saniya received Quran lessons at home, she then secured a spot at the American School for Girls, one of the only available venues for someone with her intellect to flourish.

By the age of 16, Saniya had a pull back to tradition. She was married to a neighbor, a doctor, not exactly arranged, as he sought the permission of her parents to marry first. They were only married for two years, and the built-up tension with her mother-in-law led to the divorce, though they remained on good terms. After the divorce, Saniya enrolled back in an academic place, illustrating that detours did not define her journey.

First Steps Toward the Stethoscope

Beirut in the 1920s buzzed with post-World War I energy. French mandate rule brought new schools and ideas, but medicine remained a man’s domain at places like the American University of Beirut. Saniya joined the freshman class at the American Junior College for Women in 1924, graduating two years later with honors that turned heads. She set her sights on AUB’s medical program, dreaming of healing the community that raised her.

Society had other plans. Whispers of scandal followed women chasing such ambitions, and even her own circle urged caution. But Saniya’s family backed her, her father especially, who saw in her the scholar he hosted at his table. When AUB’s doors stayed closed to female applicants, she looked westward. No Lebanese woman had crossed the Atlantic for a medical degree, but that only made the challenge sharper. In 1929, she boarded a ship for America, the first of her kind to chase that horizon.

Landing in the U.S. meant more than new classrooms; it was a crash course in reinvention. She adapted to a world of bobbed hair and bold conversations, earning nods from American papers for her “occidental ways.” Yet homesickness and the drag of her leg tested her daily. Through it all, she pressed on, her focus laser-sharp on the white coat waiting at the finish line.

Diploma Across the Ocean

America’s medical world opened wide at the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, a haven for trailblazers since 1850. But Saniya started her formal training at Western College in Cincinnati, Ohio, earning her MD in 1931 amid a class of determined women from around the globe. She stood out not just as the only Arab student, but as a symbol of quiet defiance, her Beirut roots fueling every late-night study session.

The true hard work came next, two years of specialized training at a hospital in Philadelphia in gynecology and obstetrics. To her classmates, her tenacity was awe-inspiring, especially the way she limped and made what often felt like a marathon out of just walking. By 1932, she had completed her training, diploma in hand. She was appreciative; later, she set up a scholarship fund at her medical college to help other women like herself. Her graduation was on June 10, 1932, the same date recognized by Google in a Doodle in 2022, drawing attention to her pioneering role as a doctor to serve the Lebanese community. All personal milestones aside, this moment represented breaking barriers.

That moment wasn’t just a personal victory; it shattered ceilings. Back home, families began whispering her name to daughters eyeing books over veils. Saniya returned in 1933, suitcase packed with knowledge and a resolve to give back what she’d gained.

Clinic Doors Swing Open in Beirut

Beirut welcomed her with skepticism. In Bab Idriss, she hung her shingle for obstetrics and general practice, the city’s pulse beating just outside her window. Patients trickled in at first, mistaking her for a midwife rather than a fully trained physician. But word spread like wildfire, here was a doctor who made house calls, who treated the poor for free, who listened without judgment.

For 50 years, her clinic became a lifeline for women sidelined by poverty or tradition. Expectant mothers from the hills arrived by cart; orphans got check-ups alongside the elite. Saniya’s leg slowed her, but never stopped her from climbing stairs or crossing town. She retired in 1965, yet her hands stayed busy, mending more than bodies.

In 1937, life added new layers. She married Muhammad al-Naqqash, a journalist 12 years her junior, after he profiled her work. Their home is filled with two daughters, blending stethoscopes and story deadlines. Through Lebanon’s turbulent decades, wars, mandates, and independence, Saniya balanced family with a calling that demanded everything.

Hands in the Red Cross, Heart in the Community

For Saniya, medicine was more than just private practice; it was a public service that was interlaced into the fabric of the nation. As a founding member of the Lebanese Red Cross, she had a hand in building this organization from the ground up and was best known for coordinating aid to the country during crises that tested the spirit of Beirut, as floods and earthquakes collided with the scars of conflict. She was there, organizing clinics and providing volunteer training

Saniya’s outreach extended to the Muslim Orphans’ Home, where she was a model of the care that could be provided, mending kids battered by hardship, and the Young Women’s Muslim Association, where she nurtured ambition in girls as well as their health. When she finally returned to work at her old school, the American School for Girls, she institutionalized her role as a resident doctor providing care in hallways as if for mere mortals attending a speaking engagement.

These were not part-time jobs; they were ways for her to multiply her efforts as a doctor into a movement. In 1982, the Lebanese national government pinned the Health Medal of Merit on her chest, recognizing a lifetime of selfless effort with this award after a half-century of work. At 81, and with the same steady gaze as her graduation picture taken so many years ago, she took it not for herself, but to use it to motivate the next day.

Facing Shadows with Steady Grace

No tale of overcoming skips the shadow. In every shift of her leg, Saniya always felt the nagging sensation from that fever she had had in childhood. The turmoil, civil wars, and recession of Lebanon dealt one last blow to her clinic, but she measured out supplies, and in turn hope, in the same way she had in Lebanon’s toughest times. In her final years, pancreatic cancer appeared. She self-diagnosed herself once again, together with the clarity she exemplified to every patient.

She died in September of 1983 at the age of 82, while Beirut remained transformed. And today, a street in Ramlet al-Baida bears her name, Sania Habboub Street, a small salute to a woman who lived in paths untrodden, so others could run straight.

Echoes That Outlast the Years

Dr. Saniya Habboub wasn’t just a physician; she was a prescriber of possibility. Her choices, whether funding scholarships abroad for women she had never met or starting networks of aid for the women of her own community, fanned out to include, and elevate, her sisters, daughters, and dreamers. And, in an area of the world where women’s voices are often barely whispers, she spoke through her deeds: through the free care she offered, for the forsaken; through all of the doors she kicked wide open for the next wave of women that would follow.

Her legacy lives on in each Lebanese woman who now picks up a scalpel, or a textbook; in each of the Red Cross tents that proudly still stand; and, it is recorded within our own memories, Google’s Doodle offered a glimpse into her work and significance, but her legacy is infused within the stones of a city, and intertwined with the stories of its people. Saniya Habboub led the way to showing that one determined step, even when dragged, could cover oceans and change worlds.