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Opening a clinic in Abu Dhabi

How to open a clinic in Abu Dhabi

The Department of Health Abu Dhabi licenses every clinic in the emirate in two requests through TAMM, a preliminary approval decided within 20 working days and then a permanent licence after DOH's inspection, a malpractice insurance contract and Malaffi approval. From the day the licence is issued, wai runs booking, signed notes, referrals, Arabic and English messaging and payments on one record, the record a DOH audit reads.

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Updated . Every rule is checked against the official source and cited below.

A man in a long robe standing at the edge of a stone terrace by the sea, the Abu Dhabi skyline in the haze across the water

Regulator

Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH)

Professionals

Licensed by DOH, within privileges the facility grants

Records

Malaffi, with health data kept in the UAE

Security

ADHICS, assessed through AAMEN

Six steps to an open clinic in Abu Dhabi

  1. Who licenses a clinic in Abu Dhabi, and in what order?Step 01
  2. What must an Abu Dhabi clinic's premises have before the permanent licence?Step 02
  3. What malpractice and liability insurance does an Abu Dhabi clinic need?Step 03
  4. How does a new Abu Dhabi clinic license its doctors and staff?Step 04
  5. What has to be in place before the first patient in Abu Dhabi?Step 05
  6. What matters in an Abu Dhabi clinic's first 90 days?Step 06

How to open a clinic in Abu Dhabi, step by step

From the licence to the first 90 days, in the order a founder meets each step.

01Licensing and the regulator

Who licenses a clinic in Abu Dhabi, and in what order?

The Department of Health Abu Dhabi, in two requests set by its Standard for Healthcare Facility Licensure, version 6, a preliminary approval and then a permanent licence.1

  • Secure the trade name with the Department of Economic Development, then open a facility account on TAMM with UAE Pass.1
  • Request preliminary approval. DOH decides within 20 working days, and the approval lasts 6 months, extendable for some facility types. No patient may be seen and no service advertised in that period.1
  • Report progress. DOH can withdraw the approval if periodic reports stop, or if the project is no more than 10% complete six months after approval.1
  • Request the permanent licence with stamped engineering drawings, a malpractice insurance contract, a pest control contract and a valid trade licence. DOH decides within 25 working days.1
  • Obtain the approvals the standard names, the Monitor and Control Center and Malaffi, and pass the 100% inspection before paying the final licence fee.1

02Premises and fit-out

What must an Abu Dhabi clinic's premises have before the permanent licence?

Premises built to the Health Facility Guidelines, with engineering drawings stamped by DOH's planning section for a clinic, reviewed again at the inspection visit.1

  • Submit the clinic's engineering drawings through DOH's own option. Hospitals, day surgery, fertility, dialysis, diagnostic and oncology centres use a prequalified consultant instead.1
  • Make every contract valid for 13 months, to cover the full term of the permanent licence.1
  • Prepare only the specialties, services and beds that are ready for the 100% inspection, and suspend the rest through TAMM.1
  • Put ADHICS controls in place, the information and cyber security standard every facility must meet.12
  • Host health data in the UAE. Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 bars storing or processing it outside the country unless a health authority resolution allows it.3

03Indemnity and insurance

What malpractice and liability insurance does an Abu Dhabi clinic need?

DOH asks for a medical malpractice insurance contract with the permanent licence request, and federal law bars practice in the UAE without civil liability insurance against medical errors.145

  • Attach the malpractice insurance contract to the permanent licence request, valid for 13 months.1
  • Obtain facility insurance and the medical liability cover of every member of staff, a standing duty of every DOH licensed provider.1
  • Insure every practitioner against civil liability for medical errors, and against the risks of the profession, at the owner's cost.4
  • A facility hosting a visiting physician is liable to compensate a patient harmed by that physician's error, with the right to recover from them.4

04Hiring and credentialing

How does a new Abu Dhabi clinic license its doctors and staff?

Every member of healthcare staff must be licensed by DOH and work within the privileges the facility grants under DOH's Clinical Privileging framework. Registration can start once preliminary approval is issued.1

  • Request Super Public Relation Officer access on TAMM to license and register the medical staff.1
  • Register professionals during the preliminary approval, so the team is ready for the 100% inspection.1
  • Grant and record each clinician's privileges under the Clinical Privileging framework.1
  • Plan for the Tawteen targets the licensure standard applies.16
  • Check licences before every shift. In March 2026 DOH closed five facilities in part over unlicensed practitioners.7

05Patient-facing setup

What has to be in place before the first patient in Abu Dhabi?

Consent to DOH's Patient Consent Standard, a record system connected to Malaffi, and the habit of checking Malaffi before ordering tests.89

  • Take and record consent under the Patient Consent Standard, which applies to every DOH licensed facility and its workforce.8
  • Share data with Malaffi, which DOH's exchange policy makes mandatory for every facility.9
  • Check Malaffi before any laboratory or radiology request, under Circular 2026/30.10
  • Send referral data to Malaffi in the required format, under Circular 2026/144.11
  • Keep health data for at least 25 years from the patient's last procedure.3

06The first 90 days

What matters in an Abu Dhabi clinic's first 90 days?

DOH audits often and acts on what it finds. It ran 4,540 licensing audit rounds in 2025 and raised compliance audits from 2,401 to 3,485.12

  • Report every incident within 24 hours of discovery, and notify DOH of a sentinel event within 48 hours.13
  • Keep records only on the approved system. Manipulated records and unapproved record systems were among the reasons DOH closed five facilities in March 2026.7
  • Start collecting the quality data DOH's Jawda programme asks for, on its published schedule.14
  • Diary the renewal two months before expiry. A late renewal costs 25% of the licence fee a month, and the licence is cancelled six months after it lapses.1
  • Aim for a two-year renewal, which needs a passed quality inspection.1
A man in a white kandura and a woman in a dark suit talking in a sunlit marble lobby, a suitcase at his side and the city beyond the glass

How wai runs a Abu Dhabi clinic from day one

From the day the permanent licence is issued, an Abu Dhabi clinic runs its diary, notes, referrals, payments and patient conversations on one record, with the evidence a DOH audit reads kept as the work happens.

  1. 01

    Appointments

    Patients request appointments from your own website at any hour from the day the licence is issued, with a reminder before every visit and cancelled slots offered to the waitlist.

    Online booking from your own website, every clinician's diary read from their calendar, reminders, rebooking after a missed visit and waitlist offers when a slot opens.

    For patients
    Online booking at any hour, with a reminder before the visit.
    For the business
    Fewer missed appointments, and cancelled slots offered to the waitlist.
    On the record
    Every booking, reminder and change, with a time and a name.
  2. 02

    Billing

    Card payments go to your clinic's own Stripe account, with the cancellation policy shown before the patient commits, invoices and an export for your accountant.

    Card payments into your own Stripe account, the cancellation policy shown at booking, invoices, statements and reconciliation, with an export for your accountant.

    For patients
    A clear price and policy before they commit, and an invoice in their app.
    For the business
    Payments reconciled against visits, with an export for your accountant.
    On the record
    What was charged, when, against which visit, and the policy the patient saw.
  3. 03

    Scribe

    The note, letters and referrals are drafted from the consultation for the doctor to read, edit and sign, and wai keeps the record ready for Malaffi, set up with your facility before go-live.

    The note, letters and referrals written from the consultation, cited to published clinical guidelines, with the transcript beside the note, for the clinician to read, edit and sign.

    For patients
    The clinician's attention stays on them during the consultation.
    For the business
    Less time spent writing notes after clinic.
    On the record
    A contemporaneous note, signed, with the time, the signature and the source it cites.
  4. 04

    Follow-up

    WhatsApp, email and calls land in one thread per patient, with replies drafted in Arabic, English or the language the patient wrote in, for your team to approve.

    WhatsApp, email and calls in one thread per patient, replies drafted in the patient's own language for your team to approve, a response clock on every new enquiry, and recalls a clinician approves.

    For patients
    A reply in the language they wrote in, approved by your team.
    For the business
    More enquiries answered within the hour, when they are most likely to book.
    On the record
    The whole conversation on one record, with response times.
  5. 05

    Evidence and audit trail

    Recording consent is taken at booking, controlled drug flags sit in the record, and every read of a file is logged against a named account, the trail an incident review starts from.

    Recording consent taken at booking, referrals written from the visit, patient flags for controlled drugs and safeguarding notes, and every read of a record logged against a named account.

    For patients
    Flags and checks in the record at the point of care.
    For the business
    Incident reviews that start from the audit trail, with times and names.
    On the record
    Who saw what, who changed what, and when, to the minute.
  6. 06

    Staff access

    Every professional works under a named account with a role enforced in the database, so each action sits under a DOH licensed name.

    Named accounts for every person, and role-based access enforced in the database, so every action sits under a name.

    For patients
    Their record seen only by staff whose role allows it.
    For the business
    Access and actions tied to named people, in the same system as the record.
    On the record
    Who holds which role, and every action taken under it.
  7. 07

    Reporting

    Front desk, response time and takings reports for any period, produced on the day an auditor asks.

    Takings, front desk and website reports, response targets, and the patient's own record exportable on request.

    For patients
    A copy of their record when they ask for it.
    For the business
    Weekly reports for leaders on response times, the front desk and takings.
    On the record
    Reports for any period, produced on the day they are asked for.

wai hosts your clinic's records in the UAE, under the UAE's rules. We set this up with you before go-live. Prices for clinics, groups and hospitals are on the wai pricing page.

What a well-run clinic gains

Patients answered within the hour, clinicians home on time and diaries that stay full, in published research.

  1. 7x

    An enquiry answered within the hour is nearly seven times as likely to become a real conversation.15

  2. 30%

    Clinicians using an ambient scribe did 30% less work after hours.16

  3. 23%

    Patients sent a notification before their visit were 23% more likely to attend.17

Questions

How long does a DOH facility licence take?

DOH decides a preliminary approval within 20 working days and a permanent licence within 25.1 The time between depends on the fit-out, the staff and the Malaffi approval.

Can an Abu Dhabi clinic advertise before its licence is issued?

No, during the preliminary approval a facility may not receive or treat patients or promote any health service.1 Launch marketing once the permanent licence is in hand.

Is malpractice insurance mandatory in Abu Dhabi?

Yes. DOH requires a medical malpractice insurance contract for the permanent licence, and federal law makes the facility owner insure its practitioners and pay the full premium.14

Do I need Malaffi to open a clinic in Abu Dhabi?

Yes, Malaffi approval is one of the approvals the permanent licence needs.1 wai keeps every patient record ready for Malaffi, and we prepare it with your facility before go-live.

Is a Dubai licence valid in Abu Dhabi?

No, each emirate's health authority licenses its own facilities. A facility in Abu Dhabi must be licensed by DOH, and every member of its healthcare staff licensed by DOH too.1

Abu Dhabi regulators and guides

All regulators
  1. RegulatorThe Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH)
  2. RegulatorHow to get a DOH facility licence
  3. RegulatorMalaffi for clinics in 2026
  4. RegulatorWhat ADHICS asks of a clinic
  5. RegulatorJawda and Muashir explained

Abu Dhabi in depth

All insights
  1. InsightClinic AI in Abu Dhabi
  2. InsightAI scribes and UAE data residency
  3. InsightReducing no-shows in a medical practice

Opening a specialty clinic in Abu Dhabi

Every specialty
  1. Specialtywai for private GP practices
  2. Specialtywai for dental practices
  3. Specialtywai for home visit doctors
  4. Specialtywai for physiotherapy practices

Opening a clinic elsewhere

Every city
  1. CityOpening a clinic in Dubai
  2. CityOpening a clinic in Riyadh
  3. CityOpening a clinic in Doha
  4. CityOpening a clinic in London
  5. CityOpening a clinic in New York
  6. CityOpening a clinic in Los Angeles
  7. CityOpening a clinic in Miami
  8. CityOpening a clinic in Singapore
  9. CityOpening a clinic in Hong Kong
  10. CityOpening a clinic in Sydney
  11. CityOpening a clinic in Paris
  12. CityOpening a clinic in Edinburgh
  13. CityOpening a clinic in Sharjah
  14. CityOpening a clinic in Chicago
  15. CityOpening a clinic in Houston

Request a demo for your Abu Dhabi clinic.

We show wai running a Abu Dhabi clinic on your own diary, notes and inbox, in a 15 minute video call with our team. wai hosts your clinic's records in the UAE, under the UAE's rules. We set this up with you before go-live.

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team@wellnessa-i.com

Sources

  1. 1Department of Health Abu Dhabi, 2025Standard for Healthcare Facility Licensure, version 6, effective September 2025Read source
  2. 2Department of Health Abu Dhabi, 2024Abu Dhabi Healthcare Information and Cyber Security Standard (ADHICS), version 2Read source
  3. 3Dubai Health Authority, 2019Federal Law No. (2) of 2019 Concerning the Use of Information and Communications Technology in Health Fields, published on ISAHDRead source
  4. 4Dubai Health Authority, 2016Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2016 on Medical Liability, English text published by DHARead source
  5. 5The Official Portal of the UAE Government, 2026Health policy and lawsRead source
  6. 6Department of Health Abu Dhabi, 2026Circular 2026/164, Tawteen targets for 2026Read source
  7. 7Department of Health Abu Dhabi, 2026DoH closes five healthcare facilities and suspends staff pending referral to Public ProsecutionRead source
  8. 8Department of Health Abu Dhabi, 2024Patient Consent Standard, version 1Read source
  9. 9Department of Health Abu Dhabi, 2020Policy on the Abu Dhabi Health Information ExchangeRead source
  10. 10Department of Health Abu Dhabi, 2026Circular 2026/30, mandatory use of Malaffi before laboratory and radiology requestsRead source
  11. 11Department of Health Abu Dhabi, 2026Circular 2026/144, mandatory submission of referral data to MalaffiRead source
  12. 12Department of Health Abu Dhabi, 2026DoH advances healthcare regulation, standards and community engagementRead source
  13. 13Department of Health Abu Dhabi, 2024Incident Reporting and Management Standard, version 2Read source
  14. 14Department of Health Abu Dhabi, 2026JawdaRead source
  15. 15Harvard Business Review, 2011The Short Life of Online Sales LeadsRead source
  16. 16JAMA Network Open, 2025Clinician Experiences With Ambient Scribe Technology to Assist With Documentation Burden and EfficiencyRead source
  17. 17BMJ Open, 2016Using digital notifications to improve attendance in clinic, systematic review and meta-analysisRead source