Dubai Health Authority provides grace period to healthcare professionals to meet licensing qualification standards

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 9, 2014:  Dentists and physicians in Dubai, have been given a grace period to meet licensing qualification standards, said a top health official.

Dr Layla Al Marzouqi, Acting Director of Health Regulation Department at the DHA, said: “In line with the unified professional qualification requirements(PQR) that is applicable for all healthcare professionals in the UAE, the Authority has provided a grace period to dentists and physicians until January 2017, the meet the necessary qualification standards.”

As per the unified professional qualification requirements for healthcare physicians in the UAE, physicians and dentists will fall under three categories- consultants, specialists and general practitioners. The DHA has scrapped the specialists under supervision and registrar category, therefore physicians and dentists who currently fall under these two categories, will need to meet PQR requirements so that they can receive the specialist title. PQR requirements provide details of education and experience required by healthcare professionals.

Those that already meet the requirements, will find that their title will automatically be changed to specialist by January 2017 or they can apply earlier for a change in title.
    
Those who presently do not meet the requirements, have until January 2017, to meet the requirements. If they do not meet these requirements by January 2017, they will receive the title of general practitioner.

She added this is in line with the unified licensing criteria for all health professionals in the UAE.

For further information, health professionals can log onto www.dha.gov.ae/EN/Documents/Healthcare%20Professionals%20Qualification%20Requirements%20(PQR)%202014-1.pdf