Interim Guidelines

Patients or staff with flu symptoms are advised to:

• Wash hands frequently with soap and water or alcohol-based rub.
• Maintain social distancing.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.
• Practice respiratory hygiene.
• Seek medical care in the case of fever, cough and difficulty breathing.
• Stay informed, follow advice from health authorities.

For a limited period, from Friday, 20 March until Monday, 20 April, all hospitals and clinics in the free zone are authorised to provide teleconsultation services within licensed specialties without applying for the service. Such sessions should be appropriately documented, ensuring secure and encrypted network is provided to the patient at all times. Prior to this interim guideline, DHCR required licensed healthcare operators to apply for a permit.

In general, DHCA does not regulate insurance companies, therefore, it’s the responsibility of the healthcare operators to contact/negotiate with the insurance companies.

For the current phase, all healthcare operators and healthcare professionals should follow standard contact and airborne precautions.

Be alert for patients who meet the criteria for suspected cases or confirmed cases. Please refer to DHCA Infection Control and Preparedness Plan for COVID19 Pandemic and DHA Guidelines for the Management of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)..

No. Refer to the instructions to postpone with immediate effect all elective and non-urgent surgeries until Tuesday, 31 March as per Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Circular (dated 15 March, 2020) that applies to DHCC-based healthcare operators with permits to conduct surgeries.

UAE authorities had advised residents to avoid cross-border travel plans to limit coronavirus outbreak. As a preventive measure, employees returning from abroad should be subject to a two-week (14 days) quarantine at home. Effective from Thursday, 19 March, 2020, UAE has suspended the entry of all valid visa holders who are currently out of the country, for a renewable period of two weeks.

If the patient is asymptomatic, but has a history of travelling, healthcare professionals should ensure adherence to standard, contact and airborne precautions.

• All facilities and medical centres offering family medicine, ENT, paediatrics and, general medicine shall take necessary precautions and according to the approved procedures to prevent infection spread by providing a temporary isolation room within the facility.
• Any suspected cases should be immediately isolated in an emergency room within the clinic, till the case is transferred to a hospital. Assessment and emergency management should be carried out without any delay.
• Coordinate with Dubai Ambulance for the patient to be transferred to a nearby Hospital (government or private). Proper and detailed referral should be done.
• The facility must maintain a logbook of suspected cases. Immediate notification on suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 (based on case definition) to preventive medicine section (DHA) via the following points: Direct telephone no: 056 2253 800 OR 056 2256 769 / infectious diseases electronic notification system: Sheryan (IDNS). In parallel, a copy of this report must be emailed to DHCR via (IDN@cpq.dhcc.ae).

No specific guidelines. However, any patient with suspect/confirmed case of COVID-19 should be immediately isolated. Also, limit visitors access and movement within the health facility.

For the time being, DHCA recommends to avoid aesthetic/cosmetic procedures for patients coming from abroad (especially from the countries badly affected with COVID-19). Currently, the UAE has suspended all types of visit visas (including visa on arrival). All elective surgeries cases should be postponed till further notice as per DHCA & DHA circulars.

Clinical facilities conducting group therapy sessions are advised to conduct individual sessions instead. If this is not possible, limit the size of the group [no more than three] session, and ensure appropriate disinfection and cleaning procedures prior and after. In addition, schedule these sessions in a manner that reduces the number of patients on the premises at the same time.

A physician shall not refrain from treating a patient in an emergency situation. Non-urgent cases may be postponed or conduct teleconsultation.

All healthcare professionals should take necessary precautions to prevent being infected at the workplace. Healthcare professionals should ensure adherence to standard precautions at all time; contact and airborne precautions (as required).

Clinical partners are permitted to provide teleconsultation services without formal approval from Dubai Healthcare City Authority – Regulatory (DHCR) and within licensed specialties. Such sessions should be appropriately documented, ensuring secure and encrypted network is provided to the patient at all times, and that the provided service doesn't negatively affect the patient's health. Refer to DHCA Alerts dated 17 March, 19 March, 25 March and 26 March.

Existing patients are those that are registered with the facility and /or with ongoing treatment/therapy.

• As per DHCA Alert: COVID-19 on 29 March, as per Ministerial Resolution No. 230 of 2020, healthcare professionals (HCPs) are permitted to work towards the COVID-19 healthcare requirements across all UAE health authorities without restrictions. Such a request should be coordinated between the requesting clinical facility, the health authority that licenses the aforementioned facility, and the authority that licenses the healthcare professional/s.
• HCPs can also work in multiple facilities in DHCC in relation to only COVID-19 care without the need to obtain approvals from DHCR. (Refer to DHCA Alert on 17 March.) It is the responsibility of healthcare operators (HCOs) to enter into agreements with the required healthcare professionals, and follow applicable patient care safety policies and procedures. It is also the responsibility of HCOs and HCPs to ensure appropriate malpractice insurance /medical liability insurance in in place for each of the facilities professionals will be practicing at.

As long as the services provided are limited to the care of COVID-19 patients, and within the scope of specialty of the healthcare professional, adding ‘Employer’ on the license is not required for the time being.

As per DHCA Alert: COVID-19 on 29 March, Ministerial Resolution No. 230 of 2020, healthcare professionals are permitted to work towards the COVID-19 healthcare requirements across all UAE health authorities without restrictions.

As per DHCA Alert on 24 March, all dental clinics must postpone all elective and non-urgent surgeries. Refer to the Interim Guidelines for DHCC Hospitals and Clinics Providing Dental Services.

Refer to DHCA Alert: COVID-19 – Non-Compliance In Elective And Non-Urgent Surgery Directives Will Face Disciplinary Action on 2 April, and DHCA Alert on 24 March on elective and non-urgent surgeries.

As per the DHCA Alert on 17 March, clinics and hospitals can provide home healthcare services within licensed specialties, and only to existing patients provided the home healthcare session are appropriately documented with visit logs and medical records, and follow applicable infection control practices and standard patient safety guidelines. Also refer to ‘DHCR_COVID-19_Interim Guidelines for Home Healthcare Services’.

Yes, pharmacies and outpatient clinics can request for 'Voluntary Suspension of Clinical Services'. To apply, visit Voluntary Suspension Service via Masaar.

• Healthcare operators are encouraged to utilize the telehealth/teleconsultations services.
• For periodic follow-up appointments for chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, blood pressure, etc, or immunodeficiency conditions, the patient is not required to visit the clinic or hospital, and delivery of medications should be allowed as per MOHAP regulations.
• Ensure no gather and crowd out into outpatient clinics by reserving advance appointments while maintaining a period of no less than 20 minutes between appointments, and ensuring that a minimum distance of two meters is kept between patients in waiting places.

As per applicable regulations, vital and support services such as healthcare, pharmacies, supermarkets, food supply, and delivery (food and medicine), banking, security, laundry and maintenance are exempt from permit requirements. These sectors are not required to apply for a permit via https://dxbpermit.gov.ae.. However, employees working in these sectors must obtain a letter from their employers, stating movement to and from work. This letter will serve as documentation when checked/stopped by relevant authorities, and if required, to waive violations recorded on radar. We advise employers to include information such operating permit / commercial license and working hours in the aforementioned letter that should be printed on the company letterhead, and stamped and signed by the management.

To continue to ensure healthcare access at this critical time, we have instructed all clinical facilities identified as COVID-19 treating entities, and healthcare professionals in the free zone to comply with the below guidelines with immediate effect and until further notice. This will help ensure adequate healthcare expertise is available for current and future requirements in relation to COVID-19 care.

Hospitals must:

• Refrain from terminating clinical staff.
• Make concerted efforts to retain talent.
• Refrain from accepting resignations from clinical staff.
• Make an effort to collaborate with other hospitals and clinics on exchange / rotation programs in specialist areas for optimum resource management.

Healthcare professionals must:

• Refrain from resigning.

As per the UAE Public Prosecution Attorney General Decision (No. 38 of 2020) violation reports will be issued if violators refuse to respond to warnings and directives by law enforcement officers of competent Federal and Local bodies. Partners and employees of clinical and non-clinical establishments in DHCC are required to strictly follow all instructions that have been communicated to date. (Refer to all announcements at this link.) We are monitoring to ensure compliance and enforce disciplinary action/s as deemed necessary. Penalties can include mandatory closure for a stipulated period of time and/or referral to the Emergency and Crisis Prosecution at the Federal Public Prosecution. We advise you to refer to information here related to 'Communicable Disease Law' stating penalties, ranging from AED 1,000 to AED 50,000.

Elective and non-urgent surgeries have been postponed until further notice. This has been done to ensure efficient utilisation of existing healthcare resources in terms of staffing and consumables as well as increase healthcare access especially for critical cases.

Refer to applicable guidelines for dental as well as certain permitted elective surgeries and procedures (dated 2 April, 26 March and 19 March).

To meet national requirements towards increasing healthcare capacity, we launched the DHCA Volunteering Program. Through the Program, healthcare professionals in the free zone and the wider UAE can sign up as volunteers to join frontline heroes in DHCC-based hospitals. The program connects hospitals with licensed HCPs as well as individuals with medical background. Through the program, volunteer names will be added to a DHCC Volunteer Registry, managed by our regulator and based on identified needs by a hospital, DHCR will assign volunteers. Volunteers’ information could be shared with relevant UAE authorities when required. Read more at this link.