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Guide9 min read

Clinic website claims Dubai: what a health site may say

A clinic site is not a brochure with a phone number. In Dubai it is advertising copy, and the writing rules are public.

AJAllen Antony JamesCo-founder, Storytellers

Short answer: clinic website claims Dubai teams can defend start from the licence. Treat every clinic page as an advertisement. Say only what the licence covers. Put the Ministry of Health and Prevention advertisement licence number on the official account. Never use absolute words such as safest, the only, or guaranteed success. This page is a writing guide, not legal advice, and it names no clinic.

Founders often ask a web partner to make a health site "sound confident". In Dubai, confidence has a hard edge. The Dubai Health Authority, DHCR and the Department of Health Abu Dhabi publish what medical advertising may and may not say. Copy that ignores those rules puts the facility at risk, no matter how polished the design looks.

Because it promotes health services to the public, so medical advertising rules apply. DHA's Standards for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media cover DHA-licensed facilities and professionals who advertise on social platforms. The same honesty rules travel well to a website: true statements, services inside the licence, and language people can understand.

MOHAP runs the national health advertisement licence service for issue and renewal. A clinic site that markets treatments without that paperwork is not "just a website". It is an unlicensed advertisement in another format.

What must appear on the official account?

The MOHAP medical advertisement licence number must appear on the facility's official account. DHA Standard One says the official account must state that corresponding licence number provided by MOHAP (DHA standards, section 5.2). Put that number where a visitor can see it without hunting: footer, about page, or a clear line near contact details.

Match titles to licences. DHA says staff and professionals must not use names or specialty titles that differ from their DHA licence, and that the prefix "Dr." is for physicians, dentists and other professionals entitled to it under the standard (DHA standards, section 6).

Which claims are barred in Dubai?

Absolute and exaggerated medical claims are barred. DHA lists statements that must not be used. Examples include unique, one of a kind, the best, exclusive, safest, the only, incomparable, unprecedented, magic, miraculous, assured success, 100%, and money back (DHA standards, section 6.11). Appendix 2 also prohibits treatments that guarantee full recovery and unrealistic or false statements on effectiveness.

Inside Dubai Healthcare City, DHCR's Advertisement Policy and Procedure is blunt. Prohibited advertisements include false or misleading claims, guarantees of a cure, and superlatives such as the unique, the one and only, the best, and guaranteed to cure. DHCR also asks operators to apply for clinical advertisement review at least 14 working days before the advertising date, and to get MOHAP approval for ads shown outside the facility after DHCR approval.

Write the service. Write who it is for. Write what the licence allows. Stop before the slogan that promises an outcome you cannot measure for every patient.

Do Abu Dhabi rules travel to a Dubai clinic site?

No. Do not copy-paste Abu Dhabi clinic copy onto a Dubai site. The Department of Health Abu Dhabi providers manual sets advertising rules for that emirate, including bars on guarantees and on advertising services a facility is not licensed to offer. A Dubai clinic site should follow DHA, MOHAP and, where relevant, DHCR. Do not assume Abu Dhabi wording is safe in Dubai, or the reverse. If you operate in both emirates, get local regulatory advice for each market.

This guide stays on the Dubai writing rule. A separate capital comparison belongs on its own page when you need it.

How should clinic website copy be written?

Write only what the licence covers, in plain language, with proof you can stand behind.

  1. Start from the licence. List services the facility is actually permitted to offer. Delete anything else from the menu and the homepage.
  2. Prefer plain language. DHCR asks for simple wording without unexplained medical jargon. Patients should understand the page on a phone.
  3. Show proof you can stand behind. Qualifications that match the licence, locations that are real, opening hours that are current. Google's SEO Starter Guide still applies: be helpful and reliable.
  4. Mind contrast and clarity. W3C's contrast guidance asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text. Soft grey on white fails patients as well as auditors.
  5. Keep before-and-after honest. DHA requires clear notes that results vary. Do not imply every patient gets the same outcome.
  6. Plan Arabic and English together. If both languages are public, each claim must stay inside the rules in both. A banned English line is still banned when translated.

What should a web partner refuse to publish?

Anything that sounds like a guarantee, a mismatched specialty title, or a treatment outside the licence. A careful partner will push back on homepage lines that sound like a guarantee, on specialty titles that do not match the licence, and on stock photos that imply a treatment the facility does not offer. That pushback is part of the job, not a delay tactic.

For the wider site craft, see what a corporate website needs and web design in Dubai. For clinic claims, keep this page beside the brief: say what the licence covers, and stop.

Key takeaways

  • A clinic website is advertising. Plan the MOHAP advertisement licence before the launch copy.
  • Show the MOHAP licence number on the official account, as DHA requires.
  • Never use absolute words DHA and DHCR list as prohibited, including safest, the only, and guaranteed success.
  • This is a writing guide, not legal advice. Confirm your text with a qualified professional before you publish.

Written by Allen Antony James, Co-founder of Storytellers, a storyteller-first studio based in Dubai, telling stories worldwide. Want help putting this into practice? See Web design in Dubai or tell us about your business.

Sources

Every claim in this guide links to its source. All sources were checked on 15 Oct 2026.

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FAQ.

Clinic website claims, answered.

Ask us a question

Yes, when it promotes health services to the public. DHA and MOHAP rules for medical advertising apply to how those services are described, including on digital channels.

DHA says the official account of the health facility must state the medical advertisement licence number provided by MOHAP. Put it where visitors can find it easily.

DHA bars absolute and exaggerated claims such as safest, the only, the best, unique, guaranteed success and similar promises. DHCR also prohibits guarantees of a cure and superlative slogans.

DHCR asks licensed operators to apply for clinical advertisement review at least 14 working days before the advertising date, then obtain MOHAP approval for ads shown outside the facility when required.

Do not assume it is portable. DOH Abu Dhabi and DHA each publish their own rules. Get advice for the emirate where the facility is licensed.

No. It summarises public writing rules from DHA, DHCR, MOHAP and DOH sources so teams can brief clearer copy. Confirm final wording with a qualified professional.

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