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Residents of the UAE are marking the launch of two new Etihad Rail stations, increasing the total number of operational stations to four out of the planned eleven.

Seven stations are located in Abu Dhabi, including Al Sila, Al Dannah, Al Mirfa, Al Faya, Mohammed bin Zayed City, Liwa, and Madinat Zayed; the MBZ City station opened on June 23.

One station (Al Hilal) is operational in Fujairah, which opened on June 30.

Today, two more stations are also opening in Sharjah: one in University City and another in Al Dhaid. Additionally, the Al Yalais station in Dubai opens today, completing the list of 11 official stations. However, sources recently confirmed that Dubai will receive a second station, which is expected to be located in Meydan.

Today is a special day as services at two Etihad Rail stations officially launch: Al Yalais in Dubai and Al Dhaid in Sharjah.

The first train departs from Dubai to Mohammed bin Zayed City station in Abu Dhabi, with an estimated travel time of just 1 hour and 4 minutes. The second train will depart several hours later from Al Dhaid station in Sharjah to the mountainous city of Fujairah, with the journey taking about 30 minutes.

If you own a car or motorcycle, you might have wondered why you have to pay a road fee on the highway even if you already paid a road tax when purchasing the vehicle. What is the difference between these two payments, and what are they collected for? In fact, road tax and toll tax are different things. The rules for collection, place of application, and purpose of these payments differ. Next, we will examine in detail the difference between road tax and toll tax, and what information the vehicle owner should know.

First, let's look at what road tax is. When you purchase a new car, motorcycle, or any other vehicle and register it, you must pay a road tax. This tax is usually set according to the state government's rules. It is related to the fact that you are the owner of the vehicle and use it within that state, not to driving on any single road. For example, if you bought a car in Delhi, you may be required to pay a road tax according to the prevailing rules there upon vehicle registration. The amount of this tax can depend on the value of the vehicle, its type, engine power, fuel type, and local regulations.

It is important to understand that road tax and toll tax are not the same thing. Now let's talk about the toll tax. A toll tax is a fee charged for using a specific highway, expressway, bridge, or another road equipped with toll booths. Suppose you are driving your car on an expressway; there is a toll booth, and a fee is charged based on your vehicle. Simply put, road tax is a government tax related to the ownership and operation of the vehicle, whereas toll tax is a payment for using a specific paid section or infrastructure.

The question arises: do you need to pay a toll even if the road tax has already been paid? Even if you have paid the road tax for your car, you will still have to pay the toll when passing through a paid section or expressway. Consider a simple example: you registered your car and paid the necessary road tax. Then you drive onto an expressway where a toll is charged. There you will have to pay the toll separately. This means that payments for both road tax and toll tax may be made for the same vehicle.

Why is the toll tax not charged on all roads? Have you noticed that tolls are not charged every few kilometers on ordinary city streets? This happens because the toll is related to the use of a specific road or infrastructure object. The fee may be charged to cover the costs of building and maintaining such objects as highways, expressways, bridges, or other projects. Toll rates can vary depending on the type of vehicle and the rules of the respective road, so you may see different charges at different toll booths during one trip.

Why is the road tax amount not the same everywhere? Since the road tax is regulated by state rules, the rules and rates can differ across states. The amount of the tax depends on the vehicle category, its value, engine, fuel type, and other established norms. Thus, when buying a car, it is not enough to just look at its price; you must also consider the taxes and other fees charged during registration.

If you still have doubts, remember this simple comparison: the tax paid according to state rules upon purchasing and registering a vehicle is called road tax. Whereas the fee charged when passing through a specific paid highway, expressway, or bridge is called toll tax. Therefore, if someone claims that road tax and toll tax are the same, know that they are different. Road tax is a tax related to the registration of your vehicle and its use in the state, while toll tax is a fee charged for using a specific road or infrastructure. Although both terms are related to the road, their purpose and method of payment are completely different.

The Federation of All Indian Medical Associations (FAIMA) has voiced its apprehension regarding services that allow patients to call doctors to their homes via mobile applications and digital platforms. While FAIMA acknowledges that doctor visits to patients at home are not inherently wrong, it finds the transformation of these visits into a model of on-demand commercial service concerning.

The association notes that doctors traditionally provide care at home, which is particularly important for the elderly, bedridden patients, those requiring palliative care, disabled individuals, and patients needing home medical care. Such services, provided based on proper safety measures and clinical judgment, are an integral part of medical practice.

However, according to the Association, the issue is not with the home visits themselves, but with turning them into a 'on-demand' commercial service. FAIMA emphasizes that medical care cannot be treated the same way as food delivery, taxi booking, or any other home service where the client simply presses a button in an app and sends a doctor.

The Association insists that the decision for home treatment must be based on the patient's clinical necessity, their safety, and the professional judgment of the doctor, rather than corporate goals, algorithms, incentives, or commercial demand.

FAIMA also raised several questions regarding safety and accountability in digital aggregator models. According to the Association, such services must have clear guidelines regarding clinical triage, emergency backup plans, medical documentation, consent, and patient identification. Furthermore, the security of the doctor, professional protection, patient data protection, responsibility for prescriptions, referral protocols, and medico-legal liability must be clearly defined.

FAIMA has appealed to the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Ministry of Health at the center, demanding the development of national standards and guidelines for home medical services provided through digital platforms. The Association supports clinically necessary and appropriate home care but opposes models that use doctors as a 'delivery service on demand.'