DHA rules for medical advertising what a clinic in Dubai must know

Who the rules apply to

• Every DHA-licensed health facility and healthcare professional advertising on social media: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and others
• Marketing staff, agencies and administrative employees who post for the clinic
• Influencers who promote a facility's services, treatments or results
• The facility remains responsible for content filmed on its premises, even when it is posted from a personal account

Approvals before publishing

• Content that names or identifies the facility should be approved internally by the facility's medical director before it goes out
• Depending on the channel and content, a DHA advertising approval or permit may be needed before a campaign: check the current requirement in Sheryan or with DHA
• Keep a record of who approved each post and when, so you can show it at an inspection or complaint

Claims that are restricted

The standards target misleading and exaggerated claims. Wording that often causes problems:

• Superlatives and guarantees: the best, the only, the safest, guaranteed results, 100%, no side effects, immediate results, miracle
• Outcome claims without evidence, or without mentioning the risks
• Professional titles that do not match the DHA licence, such as calling someone a cosmetic or anti-ageing specialist when the licence says otherwise
• Discount and bundle tactics that push a medical procedure like a consumer product

Before and after photos, testimonials, patient content

• No patient image, video, voice or written review in marketing without documented written consent
• Before and after images must not be altered: no filters, different lighting or angles that exaggerate the result
• Some procedures are more restricted than others: check the standard for your specific services

Influencers and paid posts

• Treat an influencer post as your own advertisement: it goes through the same medical director approval
• Influencers who do paid advertising in the UAE are also subject to UAE Media Council licensing: ask for their permit before signing
• Brief influencers in writing on what they may and may not say, and review the final video before it is posted

How we help

We do not approve ads and we are not a law firm. We help build the team that keeps marketing compliant: marketing managers who know DHA rules, a clinic manager who runs the approval routine, and CRM tracking of which channels bring real patients. Recruitment fee: one month's salary of the placed employee, 50% when they start and 50% after probation, no full prepayment, free replacement within 2 months. Consulting and CRM projects are priced after a free review.