Department of Health – Abu Dhabi Shuts Down Four Healthcare Facilities in the Emirate Pending Referral of Staff to Public Prosecution

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the Emirate, has announced the closure of four healthcare facilities in Abu Dhabi as a preliminary step toward the referral of all their staff to the Public Prosecution for investigation. This action follows the discovery of serious violations of applicable laws, resolutions, and regulatory circulars, specifically involving the issuance of sick leaves to individuals who never attended the facilities for medical examinations, in exchange for money.

Investigations revealed that the facilities were issuing fraudulent sick leave certificates through WhatsApp communications. Applicants were asked to provide personal identification, along with basic health details such as height and weight, after which they were given the facility’s bank account number to transfer AED 100 per sick leave day. These certificates were then falsely documented in the patients’ medical records, completed with forged consent signatures, despite the individuals never visiting the medical centres. The four facilities were found to be operating in coordination, using designated intermediaries to manage and distribute the issuance of these sick leaves across their operations.

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi has taken the decision to shut down the involved facilities due to the criminal and disciplinary nature of their actions, which pose a serious risk to the integrity of the healthcare system and involve fraudulent claims to health insurance providers.

The Department urges all healthcare providers in Abu Dhabi to strictly comply with the regulations and standards it issues, in order to safeguard public health and maintain the highest levels of service quality, transparency, accountability, and trust in the healthcare system.