How to complain to DHA about a doctor or hospital in Dubai

Where do you file a medical complaint in Dubai?

Online, through the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) service “Submit Medical Complaint”. It lets patients or care givers complain about a healthcare professional and a facility, and the website is the only channel DHA lists for it.¹ The Apply button leads to complaints.dha.gov.ae, which asks you to sign in with a DHA single sign-on account or register for one.²

DHA prints these support contacts on the service page:¹

• 800 342 Toll Free (24/7)
• +971-45991200 Outside UAE (24/7)
• Info@dha.gov.ae

Open the service page and press Apply.

Who can file a complaint with DHA?

Patients and care givers. DHA lists UAE nationals, expatriates, residents and visitors as eligible.¹

The page does not set a minimum age and does not say what a relative needs to file for a patient. Call 800 342 and ask before you file for someone else.

What documents do you need?

DHA’s page says “No documents are required unless needed”.¹ Its 2022 service catalogue listed an Emirates ID for UAE nationals and residents, and a medical report, lab results and X-rays if available.³

Federal rules say a complaint must be written in Arabic or come with an Arabic translation, state its subject precisely, attach the related documents where possible, and give the complainant’s and patient’s details and address.⁴ You may amend or withdraw the complaint, or add documents, until the committee issues its report.⁴

Use the checklist below, and ask for your medical records before you file.

How much does it cost and how long does it take?

It is free. DHA gives 1 to 6 months.¹

Once DHA refers a complaint to the Medical Liability Committee, federal law gives the committee 30 days to report, and the health authority may extend that.⁵

Write down the date you filed and use the complaint timeline to see when to chase.

How long do you have to complain?

3 years. DHA’s page says: “A medical complaint exceeding 3 years from the date of the event cannot be filed.”¹

Check your date in the deadline calculator and file well before the limit.

What happens after you file?

DHA’s 2022 service catalogue described these steps. You receive a reference number by email and the complaint is classified. If it meets DHA’s criteria, you receive an acceptance. The complaint goes to the Medical Liability Committee, and when you receive its outcome, you and the professional or facility have 30 days to appeal to the Higher Committee.³

Federal law counts the 30 days from the date you are legally notified of the report. If nobody appeals in time, the report is final.⁵ A court will not accept a compensation claim for medical liability until the case has been referred to a medical liability committee.⁵

Keep the reference number and every email. Read how to appeal a committee report as soon as the report arrives.

Should you complain to the clinic or hospital first?

DHA’s standards say outpatient facilities and specialty hospitals should have a patient complaint policy.^6,7 The federal patient charter says a facility must take complaints seriously, investigate them and reply in writing with the result.⁸ The DHA standards do not say how fast the facility must reply.

Ask the facility for its complaint form and a written reply. Add both to your DHA complaint.

Does DHA handle complaints about Dubai Healthcare City?

Yes. Dubai Healthcare City Authority says: “All medical complaints in the Dubai Healthcare City free zone are managed by Dubai Health Authority.”⁹ The law firm Al Tamimi & Company, in its review of 2021, reported that DHA took over patient complaints about Dubai Healthcare City professionals and facilities from 24 October 2021.¹⁰

File a complaint about a Dubai Healthcare City clinic through DHA in the same way.

What if you were treated at Al Kuwait Hospital or Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital?

Emirates Health Services (EHS) lists both as its facilities in the Emirate of Dubai.¹¹ EHS has its own medical complaint service for its hospitals and centres. It is free, takes about 12 weeks and must be used within 3 years of the incident.¹²

Follow the EHS steps in the northern emirates guide. If you are not sure who runs the facility, ask DHA on 800 342.

What if your problem is with your insurer?

DHA runs a separate service, “Submit an Insurance Complaint through the Unified Complaints System”, for insured members to complain about insurance companies. It is free and limited to people whose visa was issued in Dubai.¹³ The Dubai Health Insurance Corporation will not admit an insurance complaint more than one calendar year after the dispute first arose.¹⁴

If your insurer refused approval or a claim, read what to do when your insurer refuses treatment.

The small print

The filing rules are Article 8 of Cabinet Resolution No. 40 of 2019: paper or electronic filing, Arabic or an Arabic translation, a precise subject, documents where possible, and contact details. The right to amend or withdraw before the report is Article 8(2).⁴ The committee’s 30 days is Article 19, the grievance within 30 days of legal notification is Article 20, and the rule that compensation claims need a prior committee referral is the last paragraph of Article 18 of Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2016.⁵

The complaint policy requirement is clause 5.4.13 of the DHA Standards for Outpatient Facilities and clause 5.10.19 of the DHA Standards for Specialty Hospitals.^6,7 The steps after filing come from the “File a medical complaint” customer journey in DHA’s 2022 catalogue, which also says that SMS or email notifications and a dashboard show the status.³