What are DHA's advertising rules for clinics? A 2026 checklist

Which rules apply to your clinic?

It depends on who licenses the facility. Check the licence in your own footer before writing any copy: a clinic in Dubai Healthcare City follows DHCR's policy, not DHA's standard.

What does DHA's social-media standard require?

Twelve things, listed below with the section of the standard each comes from. The standard is a 28-page PDF; read it in full before you sign off a campaign. ^{Evidence · published DHA's social-media advertising standard. Standards for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media (DHA/HRS/HPSD/ST-21), version 1.1: issued 3 Aug 2022, effective 3 Oct 2022, revision date 3 Aug 2027. It applies to DHA-licensed facilities and professionals, and lists WhatsApp, YouTube, Snapchat and LinkedIn among social media. Dubai Health Authority · checked 2 Oct 2026 Open the evidence → Close}

DHA has acted on this: The National reported disciplinary action against aesthetic clinics over edited social-media images in September 2026. ^{Evidence Enforcement on edited images. The National reported on 3 Sep 2026 that Dubai aesthetic clinics face disciplinary action over edited social-media images under the re-circulated standard. The National · checked 2 Oct 2026 Open the evidence → Close} Gulf News and others reported the circular as "new rules"; the rules they quote match version 1.1. ^{Evidence Reported as new rules in September 2026. Gulf News reported DHA's social-media rules for doctors, facilities and influencers on 1 Sep 2026. The rules it quotes match version 1.1 of the standard. Gulf News · checked 2 Oct 2026 Open the evidence → Close}

What's different in Dubai Healthcare City?

Approval comes first: every medical advertisement, including social posts and the website, needs DHCR approval and then MOHAP approval. ^{Evidence · published Dubai Healthcare City's advertisement policy. DHCR/PP/AD/001/03 (issued 27 Oct 2019): every medical advertisement, including social media and websites, needs DHCR approval and then MOHAP approval. Requests go in at least 14 working days before the advertising date, and approval is valid for six months. WhatsApp content, including voice notes, counts as social media advertising. Dubai Healthcare City Authority – Regulatory · checked 2 Oct 2026 Open the evidence → Close}

• Submit at least 14 working days before the advertising date. Approval is valid for six months, and any change needs re-approval.
• WhatsApp content, including voice notes, counts as social media advertising.
• Fixed prices or a stated price range are allowed, if the ad says whether extra charges may apply. No money-back offers, no trial use.
• No superlatives such as "expert", "most", "latest" or "guaranteed", no comparative ads, and no claims about treating mental illness.
• Ads in a language other than Arabic or English need a legal translation submitted with the request.

Can a clinic advertise prescription medicines?

Not to the public. Federal Law No. 8 of 2019, Article 39, as quoted by CMS, allows prescription-only medicines to be promoted only in professional publications, with MOHAP approval. ^{Evidence Prescription medicines can't be advertised to the public. CMS's guide (May 2024) quotes Federal Law No. 8 of 2019, Article 39: prescription-only medicines may be promoted only in professional publications, with MOHAP approval. CMS (law firm) · checked 2 Oct 2026 Open the evidence → Close} That covers GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and branded injectables. How far a landing page may name a product, such as a programme built around one, is a question for counsel.

Where must patient data be stored?

In the UAE, unless an exception applies. Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 on ICT in health fields, Article 13, bars storing, processing or transferring health data about services provided in the UAE outside the country, except in cases set by decision. ^{Evidence Health data stays in the UAE by default. Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 on ICT in health fields, Article 13: health data relating to health services provided in the UAE may not be stored, processed or transferred outside the UAE, except in cases set by decision (Ministerial Decision No. 51 of 2021), as summarised by DLA Piper. DLA Piper Data Protection · checked 2 Oct 2026 Open the evidence → Close} The government portal lists the law. ^{Evidence · published The UAE's federal health laws. The UAE government portal lists the federal health laws, including the law on the use of ICT in health fields. UAE government portal (u.ae) · checked 2 Oct 2026 Open the evidence → Close}

• A CRM, WhatsApp AI layer or dashboard that holds clinical details should be UAE-hosted or covered by an exception. Confirm with counsel for your own stack.
• Keep clinical details out of ad platforms and tracking pixels.
• DHA's standard asks medical directors to avoid social-media discussions in which patients may disclose health information (7.1.7). Design WhatsApp and Instagram flows to collect administrative details only: name, preferred time, branch, insurer, language.

What does this mean for WhatsApp and automated follow-up?

Keep automation administrative, and let the patient set the pace. DHA counts WhatsApp as social media, and its standard says an appointment time the patient didn't ask for is not acceptable, so offer slots only to someone who asked to book. ^{Evidence · published DHA's social-media advertising standard. Standards for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media (DHA/HRS/HPSD/ST-21), version 1.1: issued 3 Aug 2022, effective 3 Oct 2022, revision date 3 Aug 2027. It applies to DHA-licensed facilities and professionals, and lists WhatsApp, YouTube, Snapchat and LinkedIn among social media. Dubai Health Authority · checked 2 Oct 2026 Open the evidence → Close} WhatsApp's own policy adds opt-in before you message, an opt-out honoured every time, and a clear way to reach a person. ^{Evidence · published WhatsApp's own rules for business messages. Businesses may contact people only after they've shared their number and given opt-in permission, must respect every request to opt out, and automated replies must offer a prompt, clear way to reach a person. WhatsApp · checked 2 Oct 2026 Open the evidence → Close}

• The bot handles hours, location, insurer networks, price ranges with conditions, and booking requests. It never gives clinical advice.
• Clinical questions go to a named, licensed person.
• Every template is approved by the clinic, per its licence's rules, and archived with its edits.

That's how we build WhatsApp and AI automation for clinics: administrative workflows only, ending with a named person. ^{Evidence Every workflow ends with a person. Each automation we build acknowledges and qualifies, then hands the enquiry to a named person on your team at a set point. Clinical, legal and pricing questions always go to a person. How we build automation · checked 1 Oct 2026 Open the evidence → Close}

Do influencers and staff accounts need anything?

Two things: the medical director's approval for any post that names or locates the facility (ST-21 5.3), ^{Evidence · published DHA's social-media advertising standard. Standards for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media (DHA/HRS/HPSD/ST-21), version 1.1: issued 3 Aug 2022, effective 3 Oct 2022, revision date 3 Aug 2027. It applies to DHA-licensed facilities and professionals, and lists WhatsApp, YouTube, Snapchat and LinkedIn among social media. Dubai Health Authority · checked 2 Oct 2026 Open the evidence → Close} and, for individuals advertising on social media from inside the UAE, an Advertiser Permit. The permit exempts someone promoting their own business on their own account; agencies must contract only with permit holders. ^{Evidence · published The UAE Advertiser Permit. The Advertiser Guide (Media Council Chairman Decision No. 3 of 2025, under Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023) requires a permit for individuals who publish advertising on social media from inside the UAE, paid or unpaid, with an exemption for promoting your own business on your own account. Agencies must contract only with permit holders and keep records for three years. UAE Media Council (now shown as the National Media Authority) · checked 12 Oct 2026 Open the evidence → Close}

What couldn't we verify?

These points came from summaries, search results or texts we couldn't open. Treat them as open questions for your medical director or counsel, not as rules.

• Whether a newer version of ST-21 is attached to the 17 Aug 2026 circular. The rules reported in September 2026 match version 1.1.
• MOHAP's current health-advertisement fees. A 2024 summary gives AED 100 to apply, then AED 1,000 a month or AED 3,000 a year per social-media account or website; MOHAP's own pages refused our fetcher.
• The text of DoH's current Abu Dhabi advertising guidelines, including approval timelines, and how facilities log ads with DoH (a TAMM service we saw only in search results).
• The role of the Sharjah Health Authority in approving health ads in Sharjah, alongside MOHAP.
• Whether a free consultation counts as "trial usage of medical products or services". Ask counsel before offering one in an ad.
• Whether approvals for medicine advertising now sit with the Emirates Drug Establishment rather than MOHAP.
• Whether WhatsApp or SMS follow-ups to someone who enquired count as telemarketing under Cabinet Resolution No. 56 of 2024.
• Patient testimonials in federally licensed ads: a 2024 summary says only healthcare specialists may give them, while DHA allows patient testimonials with written consent.