Was what happened to you a medical error under UAE law?

What does the law count as a medical error?

An error a practitioner makes for one of four reasons set out in Article 6 of the medical liability law.¹ The same law lists four cases where there is no liability, in Article 17.¹ Table 1 sets them side by side, in the law’s order.

The law applies to anyone who practises a medical profession in the UAE.¹ Practitioners of related professions, not only doctors, carry the same liabilities as a doctor as far as possible (Article 37).¹

When you write your complaint, say which of the four reasons you think applies and why.

When is a doctor not liable for what happened to you?

In the four cases in the right-hand column of Table 1.¹ One of them turns on what you did: harm from your own act, from refusing treatment, or from not following the medical instructions you were given. The same case covers harm from an external cause. Another covers a method other doctors do not use, as long as it conforms to generally accepted medical standards.¹

Keep your discharge papers, prescriptions and any written instructions, so the committee can see what you were told to do.

Is a complication a medical error?

Not by itself. Article 17 says there is no liability for recognised or unexpected effects and complications that did not result from a medical error.¹ Emirates 24|7 reported on 1 July 2026 that the chairman of the Supreme Committee for Medical Liability said “many complaints are not linked to proven medical errors but rather to known complications that can occur despite proper care”.²

A separate question is whether you were warned. Before the intervention starts, the doctor must tell you or your family about the complications that may result from the diagnosis, treatment or surgery (Article 4).¹ The regulations say this must be done “in a clear and simplified manner”.³ See informed consent.

Check your signed consent form for the complication you had.

Who decides whether it was an error?

A medical liability committee. Article 18 gives these committees the job of settling complaints referred by the health authority, the Public Prosecution or a court, and of deciding whether a medical error was committed and how serious it was.¹ A complaint made to the Public Prosecution is referred to the health authority (Article 24).¹

The Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DoH) lists the complaints it accepts for investigation as including medical negligence, treatment errors and complications, medication errors and delay of treatment.⁴

Find the authority for your hospital or clinic with the complaint finder, then read medical liability committees.

When is an error gross?

The regulations list serious outcomes, such as death or the loss of an organ or its function, “in addition to” one of seven listed failings, such as leaving medical equipment in the body.³ A gross error can lead to prison or a fine.¹

Read gross medical error for the full list.

The small print

• Where the test is set. Article 6 of the Decree-Law leaves the standards for a gross error to the executive regulations.¹ Article 5 of Cabinet Resolution No. 40 of 2019 sets them.³
• Duties behind the test. Article 3 of the Decree-Law requires accuracy, honesty and due care in line with recognised scientific and technical standards. Article 4 lists the doctor’s duties, and Article 5 lists what a doctor must not do.¹ Article 2 of the regulations adds that each action must be documented in your medical file with its type, date and time.³
• Arabic text. The English text of the law is a translation. The Arabic text prevails in a conflict.¹