Marketing a clinic in Dubai under the DHA social media standards

Who the standards cover

According to Gulf News, the DHA's Standards for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media apply to DHA-licensed health facilities and healthcare professionals advertising on platforms including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, WhatsApp and LinkedIn. The same reporting says they also reach influencers who promote a facility's services, treatments or outcomes.

Two details catch clinics out. Facilities are responsible for content filmed on their premises even when it's shot on a personal phone or posted from a personal account. And doctors who practise in Dubai and elsewhere are expected to keep a separate Dubai account that fully follows the standards.

Words and claims to avoid

This is where most clinic content goes wrong, usually because the copy was written the way any other business would write it.

• Reported banned terms include "miraculous", "magic", "unique", "the best", "exclusive", "safest", "100 per cent", "assured success", "has no side effects", "get money back", "famous", "pioneer" and "immediate results".
• No negative or unfounded statements about other doctors, facilities or government entities.
• No unrealistic expectations, scare tactics or claims of superiority over rivals.
• Professional titles must match the DHA licence. Titles like "Cosmetic Specialist", "Aesthetic Consultant" and "Beauty Expert" are reported as banned.
• The "Dr" prefix is reported as limited to physicians, dentists and holders of a recognised PhD.
• No use of the DHA's or another government body's name or logo without written approval.

The right-hand column is my suggestion of a direction, not DHA-approved wording. The point is to replace superlatives with specifics a patient can check.

Before-and-after content

Before-and-after images are reported as allowed, with conditions:

• Same person, same lens, no editing.
• A disclaimer that results vary between individuals.
• Written patient consent, and parental consent for under-18s.
• No promotional filming or live-streaming inside operating theatres or procedure rooms.

Approvals and influencers

The reported standards require posts that name or identify a facility to be approved in advance by its medical director, who must also archive posts for DHA audit. The same reporting lists further duties for the medical director, including training staff and appointing someone to moderate accounts. Facilities remain liable for content filmed on their premises, even if an influencer shot it on a personal phone.

Influencers also need the UAE Media Council's Advertiser Permit, which Gulf News reports has been mandatory since 1 February 2026 for paid and unpaid promotion, with organisations expected to confirm the people they work with hold a valid permit. See influencer rules in the UAE.

Patient data and lead forms

Health data sits outside the general UAE data protection law and is covered by its own health-sector legislation, according to Clyde & Co's summary of the PDPL. For marketing, that means extra care with lead forms: don't ask for symptoms or medical history in an ad form, keep enquiry data away from shared spreadsheets, and agree with your compliance team what can be stored in marketing tools. General consent basics are in PDPL for marketers.

What works within the rules

The rules push clinic marketing towards education and transparency, which happens to be what builds trust with patients anyway.

• Educational content: explaining conditions, procedures and recovery honestly.
• Meet-the-doctor videos with accurate titles.
• Patient journey content, with consent, focused on experience rather than promised results.
• Local SEO and a complete Google Business Profile. See the local SEO checklist.

If you want help building a content plan that fits these rules, see social media marketing in Dubai.

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