admin Many professionals dream of settling in the UAE for the healthcare industry. It helps elevate their career values and lifestyle prospects. This post explores everything there is to know regarding MOH, DHA and HAAD licenses for health professionals to work and settle in UAE.
Importance of Health Professional License in UAE
To become a healthcare team member in UAE, it is a must to obtain a valid license first. This ensures you become eligible to work in the sector and become part of a professional workforce meeting the most incredible demands in UAE’s health niche. Every individual medical practitioner needs a license to function legally as part of the region’s healthcare category.
Medical Healthcare Regulators in UAE
Before delving deep into the topic of different healthcare licenses, you should know about the medical healthcare regulators in the UAE.
● How many Medical Healthcare Regulators are there in UAE?
A total of five medical healthcare regulators exist in the UAE. They are the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the Federal Health Insurance Authority, the Dubai Health Authority and the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi.
● 5 Basic Categories of Healthcare Regulatory Policies
According to the medical healthcare regulators, five different categories of healthcare regulatory policies exist in the UAE. These are:
- Market preserving controls
- Quality controls on health services
- Control health providers
- Market entry restrictions
- Social regulations
Healthcare Licenses in UAE
Listed below are the top sought healthcare licenses in the UAE.
● MOH
The Ministry of Health (MOH) exam is a working license needed for healthcare professionals to practice in Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain.
● DHA
DHA is the medical license granted by the Dubai Health Authority and lets you work as a healthcare practitioner in the city of Dubai.
● HAAD
The Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD) is the coordinator of the HAAD exam and lets you practice the healthcare profession in Abu Dhabi.
● DHCC
This license is from Dubai Health Care City (DHCC) and is valid for working in the free zone in Dubai. Harvard International publishes this license.
Who is Eligible?
The eligibility criteria for the different licenses vary according to the medical profession that you are seeking in the UAE. Salient points about this are covered below:
● Basic Requirement
All primary requirements and essential documents regarding details like identification verification are the same for healthcare professionals, irrespective of their trade or career profile. As for specific professional practitioners who want to settle in the UAE healthcare domain, the basic requirements are as follows:
- For Doctors – Candidates who are doctors must have graduated from accredited universities and should have completed mandatory internships with relevant certificates. They should possess a valid license allowing them to practice in their home country.
- For Nurses – Nurses should have a relevant bachelor’s degree from an approved university with internship and experience certificates at the basic entry level. They should have a valid practice license in nursing or midwifery describing their scope of practical applications.
- For Pharmacists – Graduation is a must except for technicians, where the requirement will be a diploma only. An experience certificate valid in a clinical pharmacist role is applicable in this case.
- For Dentists – Candidates must possess a valid degree in dentistry from a recognized university. They should have internship and experience certificates with qualifications to practice in the dentistry industry in their home countries.
- For Physiotherapists – Candidates must possess a valid degree in physiotherapy from a recognized university. They should have internship and experience certificates with qualifications to practice in the physiotherapy industry in their home countries.
- For Radiographers – Candidates must possess a valid degree or diploma in radiography from a recognized university. They should have internship and experience certificates.
- For Lab Technicians – Candidates must possess a valid degree or diploma in lab technician courses from a recognized university. They should have internship and experience certificates.
● Age Limit
For HAAD exams, age is not a barrier to attendance. DHA also doesn’t have an age limit, but for applicants above 65 years to appear in the exam, medical fitness test document is required. Age barriers do not apply to candidates trying to appear for DHCC and MOH license exams as well.
● Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions for appearing in the exams are mentioned on the official website of each licensing authority. You may refer them to understand more about the terms, policies, eligibility criteria, license and exam conditions and healthcare tips in the UAE.
Know UAE License Eligibility Exam
The UAE license eligibility exams ensure that you have a medical career in the UAE with qualifications amounting to the standards set by the licensing authorities.
● Syllabus
The exam syllabus for DHA varies by healthcare profession, namely doctors, nurses, dentists and pharmacists.
A similar syllabus model applies to MOH tests too. More categories like radiographers, physiotherapists, etc., are available in the case of MOH exams.
HAAD exam syllabus includes subjects like nursing fundamentals, med-surg nursing, maternity nursing, psychiatric nursing, nursing management and leadership.
For DHCC, the syllabus varies for general physicians, dentists and nurses in the UAE.
● Exam Pattern
The exam pattern of DHA includes a two-hour test with solely multiple-choice questions. You should score a minimum of 60% to clear the exam.
For MOH tests, the exam pattern shows written exams, practical exams and viva. Clearing this three-part test is necessary to obtain a MOH license.
The exam pattern of the HAAD test follows a computer-based model, with 150 multiple-choice questions in the exam format.
The exam pattern includes two sets of testing for DHCC. They are computer-based tests and oral assessment tests.
● Exam Registration
The exam registration for the DHA license can be done through the Sheryan account, where you can enter and submit all the documents to prove eligibility and application for attending the exam.
The exam registration and application process for the MOH test includes the preparation of required documents for eligibility, creation of a MOH account, collection of eligibility ID, PSV assessment, Prometric exam scheduling, test attendance and publishing of results.
HAAD exam registration can be done by following the steps mentioned on the HAAD registration site. It involves steps similar to the DHA exam registration. The exam registration process for DHCC also involves the same format.
● Exam Fees
The exam fee for DHA is AED 1020 except for physicians and dentists licenses’ for which the cost is AED 3020.
For the HAAD test, the exam fee amounts to $80, equivalent to Rs. 4000. At present, the exam fee for the MOH test is Rs. 7000 if you are attending from Kerala.
● Score Card
The scorecard for the DHA exam includes marks ranging from 0 to 100. The minimum required mark, in this case, is 60 points.
For MOH, the scorecard depends on percentage points, and anything above 60% is a win for the candidate.
The scorecard for HAAD follows a standardized difficulty assessment format and the passing score for the test is around 60 – 65%.
● Number of Attempts
The guaranteed number of attempts that a candidate can try out for the DHA exam is three. Three fresh chances are available for clearing HAAD, DHCC and MOH tests too.
How Can I Apply for A Medical License in Dubai?
For obtaining a medical license in Dubai, DHA exam clearance is the way to go. The application steps include a self-assessment tool, the creation of a Sheryan account/profile, assessments (PSV & CBT), registration application, scheduling of oral assessments, activation of professional licenses and eligibility documents submission.
Dataflow
Dataflow is a leading global provider that helps in the provision of PSV solutions. It also aids in immigration compliance assessments and background verification services. Department of Health (DoH) issues the dataflow license and service sanctions. Clearance of the Dataflow exam is needed first before proceeding with the various healthcare licensing tests.
License Renewal
For DHA, the license renewal happens anytime three months before the expiry date, where the overall license validity is for one year. Similarly, you can renew the licenses of HAAD, MOH and DHCC following the relevant steps mentioned on their authority’s official websites.
Conclusion
With the right mentor partner and guiding entity, you can easily plan and prepare to get a healthcare license. It will help you launch that dream job in the UAE that you have always wanted. Good luck and all the best with successfully clearing your medical license test.
