The UAE healthcare sector has expanded to meet both the evolving needs of its population and the nation’s ambition to become a regional medical tourism hub.
A doctor’s average salary in the UAE is around 5,65,000 AED. On the other hand, a physician’s salary ranges from around 2,02,000 AED to 9,60,000 AED annually. In Dubai specifically, consultation fee ranges from anything between 300 AED to 1200 AED.
No wonder, doctors from all around the world wish to migrate to the UAE, specifically to Dubai, and practice here.
The demand for medical professionals in Dubai and the rest of the UAE is quite high. But there are strict regulations to work as a healthcare worker here. Let’s have a comprehensive look at what attributes are needed in order to practice in Dubai.
Licensing Authorities In The UAE
In order to practice as a doctor in Dubai or anywhere in the UAE, one needs to have a medical license. These licenses are obtained by the Department Of Health and Medical Services.
The DHA (Dubai Healthcare Authority) has authority over the licensing in the mainland of the emirate of Dubai. The Dubai Health Authority is a health regulator and a provider since it also owns and operates the four government hospitals of Dubai. DHA operates for the entire Dubai except for the DHCC (Dubai Healthcare City) free zone.
DHCC free zone is a vast area of land in the heart of Dubai which was established in 2002 and designated to become a hub for healthcare, medical education, and wellness. As a free zone, it enjoys a special regulation concerning ownership, licensing, and quality control. The DHCC’s regulatory branch DHCR issues licenses to professionals and hospitals which are only valid to practice within the DHCC’s territory.
The Emirate of Abu Dhabi has its own healthcare licensing and regulatory authority Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD) which has authority over the territory of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The Northern Emirates (all Emirates of the UAE except Dubai and Abu Dhabi) are under the regulatory authority of the Ministry of Health, which has several clinical facilities throughout their territory.
These authorities have unified PQR (Professional Qualification Requirements) but if a physician migrates from one location to another, they still need to apply and get the license from that licensing authority of that location.
Acquiring The DHA License
The DHA issues license to doctors as per the following titles:
- GP (General Practitioners)
- Specialist
- Consultant
A stepwise process of DHA for acquiring the license is quite tedious. To view the entire step-wise process along with the exam and other requirements.
The License Procurement Process
The Self-Assessment Tool
- Visit the Sheryan Self Assessment Tool.
- Enter the required information
Based on the information provided by you, the portal will access whether you are eligible to be a part of the Dubai Medical Registry or not.
If in case you are not eligible, you can opt for a manual review of your profile. For the manual review you need to:
- Submit online application with required details and documents
- Pay AED 200
- Wait for the review (may take up to 10 days)
Create Sheryan Account
- Visit the DHA “Single Sign-on Portal”
- Enter the required information and register yourself
- Receive account authentication via email
PSV & CBT Assessment
- PSV via Dataflow
- Dataflow screen applicants for Dubai Healthcare Sector
- Runs background and education checks
- Genuine profiles make it to the Dubai Medical Registry
- CBT via Prometric
- Some doctors and dentists may require a CBT assessment.
- Prometic conducts examination to check skills and knowledge of applicants
- Pass the exam and move to the next step.
Get Registered
- Register on DHA Sheryan
- Provide necessary information
- Upload necessary documents
- Pay the registration fee (AED 200)
- DHA will review and accept or reject or return the application
- Oral Assessment
- Schedule an oral assessment with DHA
- Pay (250-500 AED)
- Take and pass the exam
- Activate Professional license
- Post passing the oral exam, log into your Sheryan account
- Apply for DHA activation
- Submit offer letter and malpractice insurance certificate
- Pay license activation fee (1000-3000 AED)
- Interim license is issued till the original license is delivered to you
This is all there is to the licensing process for the procurement of a DHA license. The DHA license is valid for a year. It has to be renewed post that. You can renew your license 3 months prior to the expiration date.
Conclusion
Practicing in Dubai as a doctor is highly prestigious. Dubai has been the land of opportunities for many global doctors. Therefore, the process of procuring a license for Dubai is a long and tedious process. All this may look easy at first look, but the practical aspects and the changing government guidelines can cause a lot of back and forth for aspiring doctors.
Hence, it is always advisable to use the services of a healthcare recruitment company for the process. Our company, Fast Track Solutions is a highly reputed healthcare recruitment agency based in the UAE.
Fast track has successfully assisted many doctors across the globe in acquiring a medical license in Dubai. Our deep-rooted experience and camaraderie with the top hospitals have helped them in establishing a strong name in the industry.
We offer the following services in their licensing assistance:
- Checklist to provide relevant documents
- Verification of the documents
- Create a profile and upload documents
- Monitor application and resolve issues (if any)
- Send positive dataflow report
- Link dataflow report to the license application
So what are you waiting for? If you are an aspiring doctor who wants to work in Dubai as a medical professional, reach out to us at Fast Track Solutions and leave your licensing procurement to us.
