What to check with DHA before you advertise your clinic

This is a checklist, not legal advice. It does not tell you what the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) rules are, because those rules can be updated and getting them wrong can put your licence at risk. What it does is show you the questions to answer, and point you to the official DHA sources where the current rule is written down. Before you run any ad, work through this list and confirm each point with DHA or your compliance advisor.

Who regulates clinic advertising in Dubai?

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) does. The same body that licenses your clinic also sets the rules for how clinics and doctors advertise. In practice, that means your advertising is a licensing matter, not just a marketing one. The starting point for any question is DHA itself, not a marketing agency and not a blog like this one.

Does your ad need approval before it goes live?

Ask this first, for every ad and every campaign. Do not assume a post, a promotion, or a paid ad can go out without a check. Confirm with DHA whether your specific advertisement needs a permit or approval before it is published, and what that process looks like for your facility. Facility and professional licensing and permits are handled through the DHA Sheryan system.

Are the doctors and services in your ad licensed with DHA?

Before you name anyone, check that every practitioner, treatment, and service in the ad is licensed with DHA and currently active. Advertising a doctor, a title, or a procedure that is not correctly licensed is an easy mistake and a costly one, and it is your clinic that carries the risk, not the agency that made the ad. You can verify the licence status of a facility or a professional through the DHA Sheryan system before anything goes out.

What do DHA’s advertising standards cover?

Wording, testimonials, and before-and-after photos are the parts to check most carefully. DHA’s official guidance sets standards for medical advertisement content, including how claims are worded, whether and how patient testimonials may be used, and how before-and-after images may be shown. Do not guess at these. Read your ad against the two DHA documents listed in the sources below, and confirm each part meets the current standard before it goes out.

Where are the official rules written down?

DHA publishes its advertising guidance directly. The two documents to read are the Guidelines for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media and the Standards for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media, both linked in the sources below. Always check that you are reading the current version and that nothing newer has been issued, because DHA updates its standards over time.

What happens if you get it wrong?

DHA regulates advertising as part of how it licenses and supervises clinics, so non-compliance is a licensing matter, not just a marketing one. The exact consequences are for DHA to state and can change, so confirm the current position with them rather than relying on a summary. The safe habit is simple. When you are not sure whether something is allowed, ask DHA before you publish, not after.

How RepHigh fits in

RepHigh is built to work inside these rules, not around them. Messages go out in your clinic’s own voice, patient consent is recorded before anyone is contacted, and every message is logged so you have a clear record. We are not your compliance advisor and this checklist does not replace DHA’s own guidance, so always confirm the current rules with DHA. Clinics that advertise heavily, like many aesthetic clinics, feel this most, which is why keeping your messaging consistent and on the record matters.