Private Clinic License in Dubai

The United Arab Emirates is open to international investment as the government endorses foreign specialists and professionals to start their business ventures in the country. Notably, the investors and business people flock to the Emirate of Dubai as it is considered one of the best places in the UAE to start your business ventures. Dubai offers numerous opportunities for entrepreneurs; this is because the Emirate has experienced rapid urban growth, huge expat population who move to Dubai every year seeking new jobs opportunities.

Dubai’s well-established infrastructure has facilitated accelerated growth in the medical sector making it the best place in United Arab Emirates for starting their clinic offering medical services and facilities. Dubai remains as a leader in attracting international investments due to the transparent, effective investment laws, robust laws and secure environment that nurtures growth.

Healthcare Industry in Dubai, UAE

The government of Dubai has given tremendous support to the healthcare industry to develop world-class healthcare facilities opening the gates for foreign players to build the necessary infrastructure, systems, and centers in the state. Over the past few years, the healthcare infrastructure in Dubai has grown to new levels with world-class facilities, labs and research centers. As a fact, the private healthcare services are actively used by the people in UAE as they prefer to live a high standard of living and do not think twice about getting a quality medical facility for the proper pricing.

The industry transformed from a primary healthcare support system to a full-fledged, high-tech healthcare system that offers complete systems with state-of-the-art medical equipment, modern scientific methods and international procedures delivering the best healthcare services in UAE. The UAE’s healthcare structure consists of general public healthcare systems for the nationals operating in tandem with a network-cluster of private medical centers and clinics which provide specialised medical services to expats and residents. All the medical institutions and clinics combine to provide round-the-clock medical assistance to a diverse set of people including citizens of UAE and foreigners who come to UAE for work, study, or engaged in business or investment activity.

Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC)

Furthermore, the Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai His Highness Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum with his visionary leadership and management has designed a project to create a "Healthcare City" that is purpose-built for pharmaceutical companies, health care agencies, medical research labs, hospitals, and clinics. The Dubai Health Care City is a zone that custom built for development in the health care industry with specific laws, business-friendly regulations and tax incentives for companies operating in the zone.

Dubai Healthcare City was designed according to the plan of the Ruler of Dubai to establish a separate zone for medical services and industry. The zone is located near Sheikh Zayed Rashid highway and the Wafi center and easily accessible by the green line metro. The DHC is considered the world's largest healthcare area operating under free zone laws, and separate regulations that are business friendly. The zone is constructed in two phases with Phase 1 covering nearly 4.1 million square kilometers and Phase 2, covering almost 22 million square kilometers. Phase 2 is currently being designed with infrastructure to support healthcare and wellness companies who are encouraged to start their operations in DHC.

Click here to know more about Dubai Healthcare City (DHC).

Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA)

The Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA) is the presiding authority for the DHC Free zone establishment. The DHCA is responsible for maintaining the standards in the zone, facilitating infrastructure, and formulating regulations. In addition to this, the DHCA is responsible for company registration in the zone and offers permits, licenses to businesses, agencies, clinics, centers, and hospitals operating in the zone.

How to Open a Private Clinic in Dubai

From a business perspective, starting a private clinic in Dubai is a great option to succeed in the country as the ratio of doctors to the population of Dubai is considerably low. Taking this opportunity specialists, doctors and medically qualified professional can set up their clinic operations offering general medical support including specialised medical services in pediatric, maternal, gynecology, radiology and various other diverse sets of medical services according to their area of expertise.

Private Clinic Licensing

However, one should understand that the medical profession and healthcare services are highly regulated and the business owner must possess relevant qualification respective to the profession which is recognised in UAE. The country permits Allopathy, Siddha, Unani, Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine and other forms of accepted medical procedures for private clinics to treat or offer the patients. According to the process, a business owner must obtain authorisation, special permits from the Dubai Healthcare Authority (DHA) by following all the rules, regulations and compliances laid down by the governmental authorities and agencies that monitor medical services in UAE.

  • Requirements for Starting a Private Clinic/Medical Center/Facility/Hospital
  • Process for Starting a Private Clinic/Medical Center/Facility/Hospital
  • Documents for Starting a Private Clinic/Medical Center/Facility/Hospital
  • Fees for Starting a Private Clinic/Medical Center/Facility/Hospital

If you’re interested in starting a Private Clinic or Private Medical Center. Contact us, our UAE team shall effortlessly guide you through the procedures in obtaining a Clinic License in Dubai.

Requirements for Registering your Clinic or Medical Center in Dubai

Before planning to set up a clinic or medical center in Dubai, you should know about the essential requirement criteria that you need to satisfy before moving further. Since the healthcare sector is highly regulated in Dubai, all the entities who are interested in starting a healthcare service, private clinic or private hospital must acquire specific licenses and approvals from the government. Further down the line, you need to know about the rules and regulations designed by the DHA that allows only professionally trained personnel to apply for licensing and start a healthcare business in the country.

Individual Requirements for Private Clinics

The individual who is interested in starting a business must possess a valid medical education and must be certified by international medical agencies or UAE Healthcare Authority which conducts exams for medical practitioners for assessing their competencies and review their qualifications. For investors who do not have valid medical degrees and certifications, you can appoint a director for your business entity who satisfies the criteria. Besides, operating each type of medical institution has its requirements according to the kind of activity, and one should note that a large number of permits, approvals, and authorisations might be required before operating your medical center in Dubai.

Space Requirements for Private Clinics

As far as the spaces are concerned, there are certain specifications for setting up clinics, medical offices, centers, and hospitals. The strict restrictions from the authorities specify the size of the patient rooms, waiting halls, finishing, utility areas, equipment, and standards for safety, lighting and electrification regulations.

Process for Starting a Private Clinic or Private Medical Center in Dubai

After planning to set up your Private Clinic, you might need to follow certain steps to obtain the licensing from the Dubai Healthcare Authorities, permission from Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) for establishing facility or equivalent licensing from the free zone authorities (i.e., DHCA).

Step 1: Design & Register your Trade Name or Business Name

The business owner must design a trading name or a brand name under which the medical services business entity is planned to be established. The naming of the entity must follow the naming rules and regulations in UAE which requires the individual not to use unpermitted nomenclature while naming the brand and the trade name must not try to imitate or copy or create an identity-based on existing healthcare companies which are operating in the country in order to prevent trademark issues.

Once the investor or business owner has selected a trading name, then the investor must file an online application with the DED for reserving the trade name. Once, after the title is registered with the authorities, you can initiate the upcoming processes.

Step 2: Obtain Preliminary Approval from the DED

Once you have registered your trade name with the DED, a business owner can now file an application with the DED for obtaining initial approval for setting up a private clinic or private hospital. In this stage, the business owner must submit proper documents along with his passport. Secondly, the proper registered layout design or plan of the clinic or medical center must also be forwarded to the Dubai Municipality for approval.

Step 3: Apply and Obtain Approval from DHA

After you have filed your application for DED approval, you must wait for a few days to receive to approval certification from DHA.

Step 4: Submit the essential documents

The business owner or investor must provide all the documents to the authorities. The documents include Memorandum of Association (MOA), lease agreement, etc. to support the process of registration the private clinic.

Step 5: Get the Final Approval from the DED

The business owner is required to prepare the documents for final approval. The photocopy of the initial approval and the registration fee along with

  • Final trade license issued by the DED or free zone authority
  • No objective certificate (NOC) from the owner to assign Medical Director (MD)
  • List of the medical director and healthcare professionals
  • A valid building contract
  • List of the medical director and healthcare professional
  • A valid building contract

Step 6: Acquire your Clinical License from the DHA

The final step towards getting a clinical license is to create an account in the DHA portal to get the DHA license. For obtaining the permit, the owner must submit the details of all the medical professionals and consultants working in your firm. The authorisation for starting the private clinic or hospital you should wait for verification of all the documents from the DHA.

Documents for Registering up your Clinic in Dubai

  • Copy of the trade name registration letter from DED or free zone Authority
  • Copy of Land registration certificate from DED or Free zone authority showing the land plot number
  • Schematic designs and drawings in AutoCAD format displaying the proposed floor plans & layout designs with clear room measurement for each room/area and labeled as per services
  • Feasibility study for major projects (hospitals, day surgical centers, fertility centers) or signed a business plan by the owner/partners for other projects such as outpatient facilities, rehabilitation centers
  • Passport copy with residency visa for non-locals
  • Proposal letter from the owner/partner or the director who has the power of attorney
  • UAE identity card (UAE National Identity)

Healthcare Regulatory Authorities in Dubai

The healthcare system in Dubai is highly regulated by the Dubai Healthcare Authority (DHA) who supervise the system, create and implement regulations, design healthcare policies and maintain the governmental health care facilities in the Emirate of Dubai. The core objectives of the DHA is to regulate the medical professionals, hospitals, clinics and other allied healthcare service providers operating in Dubai while supervising their operations to maintain the highest standards. Any individual who is interested in starting medical services or support business in Dubai can set up and start their operations. To know more contact us, our team in UAE shall support your business dreams by obtaining a Clinic License in Dubai with all the legal formalities handled by us.

FAQs

How many private clinics are there in Dubai?

There are more than 500 private clinics in Dubai.

Who issues private clinic licenses in Dubai?

The Dubai Healthcare Authority issues private clinic licenses in Dubai.

How many days does it take to obtain a private clinic license in Dubai?

It takes 10-15 working days to issue a private clinic license in Dubai.

How much does it cost to begin a clinic in Dubai?

Starting a clinic in Dubai costs around 45,000 AED to 50,000 AED.