The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is the health regulatory authority for healthcare professionals and facilities in Dubai, the leading commercial emirate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The DHA is responsible for the setting and maintenance of standards of hospitals and clinics which must hold a licence to provide healthcare services. It also regulates doctors, dentists, nurses and allied healthcare professionals.

On December 6th 2023, the DHA announced a major new achievement in its mission to create a robust postgraduate medical education system in the emirate, capable of training physicians to international standards.  It has developed the first educational system in the private health sector in the Arab world which has been accredited by the Arab Board for Health Specialisations. The Director General of DHA, Awad Al Ketbi, received the accreditation shield from Dr. Omar Al Rawas, Secretary General of Arab Board of Health Specialisations.

The Arab Board of Health Specialisations

The Arab Board of Health Specialisations (ABHS) was established in 1978 in Damascus, Syria, under the decision of the Council of Arab Ministers of Health of the Arab League, a confederation of Arab states founded in 1945. The aims of the board are to improve health services in the Arab world by raising the scientific and practical level in various specializations. This is a non-profit educational institute. It  offers training and certification in over 50 specialties and subspecialties and administers specialization exams in 17 testing centres throughout the Arab world.

The World Health Authority (WHO) has signed an agreement with the Arab Board of Health Specializations to promote family practice in the Region. One of the main expected results of the agreement is to develop institutional capacity by producing a cadre of qualified family doctors at regional and country level.  A Memorandum of Understanding is present with The Royal College of Pathologists United Kingdom for improving training, local examinations and assessment methods and facilities.

Residency and Specialist Postgraduate Medical Training in Dubai

Historically most accredited postgraduate medical training programs have been entrenched in the public healthcare system with the private healthcare sector playing a very marginal role, if participating at all. (The private sector has traditionally focused on the provision of medical services and not education).

In this new medical education system, the private sector has exclusive jurisdiction over the 30 specialist programs which will be implemented in 24 hospitals and medical centres, in the first stage. These will provide 126 training opportunities for young doctors.

Specialities and Hospitals included in the ABHS Accredited education system in Dubai

In the first phase, the DHA has focused on eight major healthcare specialisations:

1. family medicine
2. internal medicine
3. general surgery
4. paediatrics
5. obstetrics and gynaecology
6. orthopaedics
7. ophthalmology
8. fertility medicine (This latest programme is the first accredited by the Arab Board for Health Specialisations.)

The list of the first phase of approved hospitals and centres included:

• American Hospital Dubai
• Saudi German Hospital
• Fakeeh University
• King’s College Hospital
• Prime Al Garhoud
• Medcare Medical Group
• Moorfields Eye Hospital
• Barraquer UAE Eye Hospital
• Gargash Hospital
• Fakih Fertility Center
• Orchid Specialized Center
• ART Fertility Clinics
• Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group
• Aster DM Healthcare Group
• Zulekha Hospital
• Liberty Dental Clinic
• Marina Dental Centre
• Al Garhoud Hospital
• Mirdif, American Academy of Plastic Surgery Hospital
• Dubai Autism Centre
• Open Minds
• American Wellness
• Galadari Derma Centre.

The Aims of the AHBS Accredited Programs in Dubai

Al Ketbi emphasised the importance which the DHA places on medical education and training as the gateway to creating expertise locally and supplying the health sector with distinguished medical competencies intended to raise the level and efficiency of medical facilities in Dubai and thus improve the quality of services and care in a way that exceeds the expectations of customers.

Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO of the Health Regulation Sector, stressed that the DHA has a strong  interest in providing a supervisory and administrative structure for residency and fellowship programs in Dubai and aims to ensure that the requirements of various local, regional and international accreditation bodies are met.

Dr. Wadeia Mohammad Sharief, Director of the Medical Education and Research Department at DHA, pointed out the importance of investing in all training opportunities to build and expand residency and fellowship programs in an attempt to bridge the gap between the increasing number of graduates of medical colleges annually in the country, and the specialisation opportunities necessary for their scientific and professional path and to bolster medical training and continuous medical education.