Covid-19: 40,000 medics in Dubai to bolster healthcare

Dubai - DHA says online licensing system-aided Dubai in recruiting more frontline staff to fight Covid-19.

Dubai currently has over 40,000 licensed healthcare professionals working in both private and public hospitals and clinics, a senior health official told Khaleej Times in an exclusive interview.

A total of 3,600 medical facilities are also operating in the emirate after obtaining licenses through the smart system called Sheryan.

Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO, Health Regulation Sector at the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said the online licensing system-aided Dubai in recruiting more frontline staff to fight Covid-19.

“It is an easy and seamless process through which we could easily license medical professionals electronically. We hired a lot of doctors and nurses from India and other countries last year at the peak of Covid-19 crisis,” said Dr Al Mulla.

All healthcare professionals in Dubai have to register with the DHA and get a practicing license.

Sheryan is an electronic healthcare licensing system for Dubai through which healthcare professionals anywhere in the world can apply to obtain a license. Candidates can upload all credentials and necessary documents electronically for primary source verification. If they meet all requirements, license is issued electronically.

“The advantage is that healthcare professionals interested to work in Dubai can apply for jobs online. Hospitals wanting to recruit staff has the date of all licensed practitioners readily available in the system,” said Dr Mulla.

Last year, Dubai digitalised the license of healthcare workers as part of the authority’s efforts to implement Dubai’s Paperless Strategy. In 2020, the DHA issued licenses to 3,957 new health care professionals and 321 health facilities including 42 hospitals, 971 outpatient clinics, 35 day surgical centres and 1,071 pharmacies.

Between January and May 2021, the DHA provided licenses to 37 health facilities and 2,340 health professionals. The 2,340 healthcare professionals licensed included 466 physicians, 210 dentists, 922 nurses and midwifes, 723 assistant medical professionals and 19 alternative and traditional medicine professionals.

Dr Marwan said that doctors from across the world are registered in the database. “This shows their confidence in Dubai’s healthcare infrastructure. I think we even have Israeli doctors registered in our database.”

Israel-UAE collaboration

The Aviv clinics that opened a few weeks ago in Dubai is the latest example of Israel-UAE collaboration in the health sector, Dr. Marwan said earlier during a panel discussion at the Global Investment Forum jointly organised by Khaleej Times and Jerusalem Post.