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Unified process of licensing in health sector from October 12

Professionals can practise across UAE without registering with each authority.

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) will begin the implementation of a unified medical professionals’ licensure process from October 12, said a top health official.

The move is in line with the agreement that was signed by UAE health authorities for the unification of licences for medical practitioners in the country, on the sidelines of Arab Health Exhibition and Congress in January this year.

From October 12, the Ministry of Health, the DHA and the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD) will begin implementation of this process. “The agreement paves way for medical professionals to work across the UAE and is important as it unifies as well as streamlines the professional medical licensure process,” said DHA Director-General Essa Al Maidoor.

“The move has several benefits for the healthcare sector. With the introduction of this process, all healthcare professionals will be evaluated based on the same criteria across the UAE.”

He said all professionals graduating from accredited local programmes within the UAE will be exempted from experience requirement so that they can begin practice in their field of medicine or nursing after the completion of the medical programme and internship.

For the first two years, they will work under supervision in a secondary or tertiary hospital.

For certain certificate holders, the number of years required for a specialist physician/dentist to be a consultant has been reduced from eight to five years as a means to provide growth opportunities to medical professionals.

Al Maidoor said holders of American board and Canadian board certificates, and Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) from the UK will be eligible to be consultants directly.

Dr Layla Al Marzouqi, Acting Director of the Health Regulation Department at the DHA, said: “More recognised specialties have been added to the ‘physician and dentist’ list of specialties. In addition, more titles have been added to different healthcare categories such as specialist nurse, and clinical pharmacist.”

She said that Ozone therapy has been added to the Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (TCAM) specialties.

She also said that it is now possible for local healthcare professionals with a gap of 10 years and expatriate medical professionals with a gap of five years to return to practise after meeting certain stringent criteria.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com