The DHA advertising guidelines for social media set out what Dubai doctors and health facilities may say online, which claim words are banned and who must approve a post. In short: no absolute or superlative claims, evidence for any result you mention, visible risk information, and patient consent for any image.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current rules with the relevant authority or your adviser.
This summary is based on press reports of the standards issued in September 2026 and on MOHAP’s public service pages. It is part of our guide to WhatsApp for clinics in the UAE.
Who regulates health advertising
Health advertising in the UAE is regulated by the health authority that licenses the facility or professional:
- Dubai Health Authority (DHA) for facilities and professionals licensed in Dubai.
- Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) for facilities it licenses, through a health advertisement licence service.
- Department of Health Abu Dhabi for facilities licensed in Abu Dhabi.
In September 2026, Gulf News reported that DHA issued social media standards for doctors, health facilities and influencers. According to the report, the standards apply to DHA-licensed professionals and facilities on platforms including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, WhatsApp and LinkedIn, and to influencers who promote health services.
Words and claims to avoid
Khaleej Times listed the words reported as banned under the DHA standards in its article “‘No side effects’: Dubai authority lists words clinics cannot use in ads” (September 2026). They include:
- “unique”, “one of a kind”, “incomparable”, “unprecedented”
- “the best”, “the only”, “exclusive”, “safest”
- “magic”, “miraculous”, “assured success”, “absolutely certain”
- “has no side effects”, “100%”, “immediate results”
- “distinguished”, “famous”, “pioneer”
The same report says claims about treatment results must be backed by evidence, advertisements must mention risks linked to treatments, and professionals cannot claim superiority over competitors. Gulf News adds that negative statements about competing doctors or facilities are not allowed.
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| “The best dermatologist in Dubai” | “Consultant dermatologist, DHA-licensed, seeing adult and child patients” |
| “Painless, no side effects” | “Your doctor will explain what to expect, including possible side effects” |
| “Guaranteed results in one session” | “The number of sessions varies; your doctor will advise after an assessment” |
Before-and-after and testimonials
Gulf News reports that under the 2026 standards, before-and-after photos must be unedited and show the same person, taken with the same lens. Written consent is required from patients before their images are used, and parental consent for patients under 18.
Practical points for clinics:
- Keep signed consent for every patient image, stored with the date and the platforms covered.
- Do not retouch, filter or crop images in a way that changes the result shown.
- Show risk information alongside any treatment content.
- Treat patient testimonials with the same care as claims: a testimonial that implies a guaranteed or typical result raises the same problems as saying it yourself. Check the current DHA position before publishing any.
The reports also mention a ban on filming inside operating theatres during surgery for promotional purposes, and limits on who may use the title “Dr”.
Permits and approvals
Two kinds of approval are worth knowing about:
- Internal approval in Dubai. Gulf News reports that every social media post that names or refers to a health facility must be approved by that facility’s medical director.
- Advertising licences. MOHAP runs a service to issue or renew a licence for a health advertisement. Its page lists healthcare facilities among the applicants, requires a valid medical licence and trade licence, and states a processing time of 3 working days.
Which licence applies depends on your licensing authority, the channel and the content. Ask your authority or adviser before a campaign, not after it is live.
A pre-publish checklist
Run every post, ad, broadcast and WhatsApp status through this list:
- No banned or superlative words, including in hashtags and captions.
- No guaranteed, immediate or certain results.
- Any result mentioned is supported by evidence you can produce.
- Risks are mentioned where a treatment is promoted.
- No comparison with, or criticism of, other doctors or clinics.
- Patient images have written consent; under-18s have parental consent.
- Before-and-after images are unedited, same person, same lens.
- Doctor titles and specialties match their licence.
- The medical director has approved the post.
- Any required advertising licence is in place.
Keep a simple log of what was published, when, on which platform, who approved it and which consent forms cover any images. If a post is ever questioned, that record shows the checks you made. Review older posts too: content written before the 2026 standards may use words that are now banned, and is worth updating or removing.
If you advertise on Facebook and Instagram, Meta’s own health ad policies apply on top of these. See Meta ads for clinics.
How Dub Ai helps
Dub Ai’s WhatsApp assistant for clinics is set up with your approved wording, so its replies avoid superlatives, guarantees and clinical advice, and hand clinical questions to your team. For paid campaigns, our Meta ads management service plans and runs Facebook and Instagram ads with WhatsApp as the destination; we draft copy with these rules in mind and ask for your medical director’s approval before anything goes live. We do not provide legal sign-off, so final checks stay with your clinic and adviser.
Frequently asked questions
Can clinics use ‘best’ in ads?
No, not for DHA-licensed clinics according to the 2026 standards as reported by Gulf News and Khaleej Times. “The best”, “the only”, “safest”, “unique” and similar absolute words are listed as banned. Describe what you actually offer instead: the service, the clinician’s licensed specialty and what a patient can expect, including risks.
Do WhatsApp messages count as advertising?
They can. Press reports say the DHA standards list WhatsApp among the covered platforms. Promotional broadcasts, status updates and offers sent to patients are best treated like any other advertisement and checked in the same way. Routine replies to a patient’s own question, such as opening hours, are a different matter, but should still avoid banned claims.
Are patient testimonials allowed?
The reports we reviewed focus on consent for patient images and on banning misleading or unsupported claims. A testimonial that suggests guaranteed or typical results can breach those rules even if the patient wrote it. Check the current DHA standards, or ask your licensing authority, before publishing testimonials, and keep written consent.
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