Health register almost complete

All professionals and 95 per cent of centres are included one year on.

DUBAI // Almost all clinics and health professionals have registered with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), only a year after the authority made it mandatory.

All 16,000 doctors, nurses and paramedics, and all but 5 per cent of health centres, have signed up.

Dr Ramadan Ibrahim Mohammed, the head of regulation at the DHA, said 2,200 health facilities in schools, hotels, labour camps and shopping centres were now registered with the agency, including 20 hospitals, 400 clinics and 400 polyclinics. Last year, only 1,900 facilities were registered.

Facilities are inspected before a licence is granted, with two DHA teams making two visits each a day.

Previously, many clinics were exempt from being licensed by the authority, registering instead with other governing bodies such as the police, the Ministry of Health or Dubai Healthcare City.

Last year, all licensing was brought under the DHA.

"As health professionals in the UAE come from all over the world it's vital to practise according to the local rules and regulations," said Dr Ali al Numairy, the head of the Emirates Medical Association.

But not all were up to standard. Four health centres were closed because their work was substandard or because they had failed to pay fines for previous offences.

Six health professionals had their licences revoked after being found guilty of severe malpractice.

"There were complaints against them and once the committee was formed, they were found ineligible to practice," Dr Mohammed said. "Some of them were even found selling sick leaves [letters for employers] to patients, which results in immediate closure."

The focus now is on the facilities that have yet to register, which should be completed before the end of the year, he said. The authority is also updating its guidelines.

Dr Fatma Abdulla, a health consultant at Dubai School of Government, said a unified system for Dubai should be just the first step towards one set of procedures for the whole country.

"People need to be qualified according to the same standards," Dr Abdulla said. "That unification is crucial and I think the DHA should even start increasing their standards."

Dr Mohammed said the authority was also aware of the lack of health facilities in remote locations.

"All the clinics and health facilities are centred in the heart of Dubai, so we plan on meeting with health professionals and the municipality to try to spread those around Dubai," he said.

Dr Mohammed said he hoped facilities would open in rural areas, Deira, Al Barsha, Al Warqa, residential districts and near the Dubai International Airport.

The licensing programme has also given the agency a clearer picture of what facilities are missing.

"We are still looking for sub-specialities for paediatrics, cancer centres and large physiotherapy centres," Dr Mohammed said.

"These are in demand and it is up to the policy and strategy department to deal with them."