How do you appeal a medical liability committee's report?

How long do you have to appeal?

Thirty days from the date you are legally notified of the committee report (Article 20 of the medical liability law).¹ If no one files a grievance in that time, the report becomes final and no challenge to it is accepted before any authority.¹

The Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DoH) puts it as 30 days from receiving the report.² Emirates Health Services (EHS) says no later than 30 days after being legally informed of the report.³ The Sharjah Health Authority (SHA) gives 30 days from receiving the committee’s decision.⁴

Work out your last day with the deadline calculator on the day the report arrives.

Where do you file the appeal?

With the health authority that handled your complaint. It sends the report and all the papers to the Higher Committee for Medical Liability (Article 20).¹

DoH takes appeals through its online complaint system. It asks for a detailed appeal request that sets out the points you are appealing against, emails you when the request is received, refers it to the Higher Committee at the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), and sends the Higher Committee’s report to your registered email.² EHS says it informs you of the Supreme Committee’s decision after the case is studied.³

Write down each finding in the report you disagree with, and why, before you start the form.

How much does an appeal cost?

AED 5,000, according to DoH and EHS.^2,3 DoH says MOHAP sends a payment link by SMS to the phone number in the appeal request.² EHS says the link goes to your registered email once the appeal is approved, and is valid for 30 days.³

The law firm Galadari wrote that the fee was introduced by Cabinet Resolution No. 72 of 2022.⁵ Emirates 24|7 reported on 1 July 2026 that the Higher Committee’s chairman said the fee helped cut grievances by around half.⁶

Ask your health authority whether the fee applies to you and how to pay, if its service page does not say.

What can the Higher Committee decide?

It can uphold the first committee’s report, or “reject, adjust or cancel the grievance” (Article 3 of Cabinet Resolution No. 14 of 2020).⁷ Its members are medical consultants in specialties chosen by the Minister, and its office is at MOHAP.⁷ It must report within 30 days of referral, and the health authority can extend that by further periods at its request (Article 7).⁷

DoH says there is no set time frame for its review.² EHS says it takes about 6 months in general.³ Emirates 24|7 reported that the committee includes around 20 consultants, and that each case goes to a specialist, with hearings where needed.⁶

If the Higher Committee asks to hear you, attend with your medical records and a copy of the first report.

Can the doctor appeal too?

Yes. The complainant and the practitioner complained about can both file a grievance (Article 20).¹ DoH says the healthcare provider can also appeal.²

Al Tamimi & Company reported a case where the Dubai Health Authority’s committee found a “minor” error, only the doctor appealed, and the Higher Committee found a gross error. On 11 September 2025 the Dubai Court of Cassation held that the Higher Committee could raise the finding even though the patient had not appealed.⁸

Ask the health authority whether the other side has filed a grievance.

Can a court review the Higher Committee’s report?

The law calls the decision final, and court rulings reported since 2024 say it can be reviewed. Article 21 of the law and Article 3 of Cabinet Resolution No. 14 of 2020 call the Higher Committee’s decision final and not open to challenge before any authority.^1,7

• Khaleej Times reported on 6 November 2024 that the Federal Supreme Court ruled in August 2024 that the Higher Committee’s findings, “previously final and unchallengeable”, can be challenged in court.⁹
• Gulf News reported on 8 September 2025 that the Federal Supreme Court, in case No. 722/2025, held the committee’s decisions to be administrative and open to judicial review. Courts may examine whether its conclusions rest on sound medical and legal grounds and whether error and harm are properly linked.¹⁰
• Al Tamimi & Company wrote that the Union Supreme Court treats Higher Committee reports as administrative decisions open to challenge before federal courts.⁸

Neither the law nor the resolution sets a deadline for a court challenge. Ask the court before you file.

How many people appeal each year?

Emirates 24|7 reported on 1 July 2026 that the Higher Committee received 378 cases in 2025, down from 651 in 2021.⁶ Galadari describes these figures as grievances reaching the committee.⁵

See medical error statistics for every year and specialty.

The small print

• Names. The English texts call it the Supreme Committee of Medical Liability. DoH calls it the Higher Medical Liability Committee.^7,2
• What its report must state. The criterion for treating an error as serious, the facts in the file confirming it, and the type of damage and error (Article 3(2)).⁷
• Term and meetings. Members serve three years, renewable. A meeting needs two-thirds of members present, and reports pass by a majority of those present (Articles 4 and 6).⁷
• Gross error vote. The English text of Article 6 says a serious error needs approval by one-third of members present. The Arabic text says two-thirds, and the Arabic text prevails.^7,11
• Notification. The 30 days run from legal notification “as set forth in the Executive Regulations” (Article 20).¹