The UAE is not one healthcare market but several. A clinic in Dubai answers to the Dubai Health Authority, a hospital in Abu Dhabi or Al Ain to the Department of Health, and most providers in the northern emirates to MOHAP, with Sharjah now running its own health authority. Each regulator sets its own licensing rules, inspection standards, price lists and data systems, so a model that works in one emirate rarely transfers unchanged.
Tulazai Health is a healthcare consultancy based in the UAE, led by Dr. Neeraj Puranik and built on 18+ years in hospital operations, revenue cycle management and insurance networking. We help owners, operators and investors plan facilities, move licensing files through the right authority, secure payer contracts and keep claims flowing, with advice shaped by the emirate where the doors will actually open.
The rules of the ground
Who regulates and pays in United Arab Emirates
Insurance and claims
Health insurance is mandatory across the UAE, but it arrived emirate by emirate. Abu Dhabi introduced compulsory cover first, Dubai followed with its ISAHD system, and from January 2025 employers in the northern emirates must insure private-sector employees and domestic workers. Claims move through separate channels: eClaimLink and DHPO in Dubai, Shafafiya in Abu Dhabi, and the Riayati e-Claims Post Office in the northern emirates. Payers, third-party administrators and price lists differ by emirate, so each contract and each claims workflow needs local configuration.
Licenses healthcare facilities and professionals in mainland Dubai through the Sheryan platform and oversees the emirate's mandatory health insurance system.
Regulates facilities, professionals and health insurance across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra, including the Shafafiya e-claims and Malaffi exchange requirements.
Federal regulator that licenses private facilities and professionals in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, and operates the Riayati platform.
Emirate-level authority in Sharjah that has been taking over facility and professional licensing from MOHAP and oversees the Sharjah Healthcare City free zone.
Licenses facilities and professionals inside the Dubai Healthcare City free zone under its own regulations, separate from the DHA process.
Services
How we help providers in United Arab Emirates
Clinic & Hospital Setup Consulting
We start by choosing the right emirate and zone, because that choice fixes the regulator, the approval route and the payer mix. From there we build the feasibility case, the space programme and the staffing plan, then sequence commercial licensing, health authority approvals and fit-out so the facility is ready for inspection rather than waiting on it.
Facility Licensing & Approvals
DHA, DoH, SHA, MOHAP and DHCR each run their own facility licensing process, with different portals, document lists, design standards and inspection checklists. We prepare the file for the relevant authority, coordinate the practitioner licences that must be in place before activation, and track every comment through to final approval.
Insurance Empanelment & Networking
Payer networks are negotiated insurer by insurer and often administrator by administrator, and the same insurer may treat a Dubai clinic and a Sharjah clinic differently. We map which payers matter for your patient base, prepare credentialing packs, and manage the negotiation and follow-up, while being clear that empanelment is the payer's decision.
Revenue Cycle Management
Revenue cycle work in the UAE means mastering three e-claims environments, different coding and pricing rules, and payer-specific prior authorisation habits. We review front-desk eligibility checks, coding, submission and denial handling end to end, then set up the reporting that shows where money is being lost.
Healthcare Operations Consulting
Operating a multi-emirate group adds compliance overhead: separate licence renewals, audits and data reporting to each regulator. We design operating models, policies and management reporting that keep every site inspection-ready while giving leadership one consistent view of performance. We also align licence renewal calendars across sites.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I need a healthcare consultancy in the UAE if the process is online?
Which health authority will license my facility?
Can one licence cover facilities in several emirates?
Does Tulazai Health guarantee licences or insurer approvals?
Complimentary 30-minute call
Talk it through with Dr. Neeraj.
Tell us where your facility is today and where you want it to be. You leave the call with a clear next step.