Doctors in Dubai can now work for all hospitals regardless of what facility they are licensed under to ease the strain on public health services during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Health Regulation Sector distributed a statement announcing the measure to all DHA licensed health professionals and facilities on Monday, to ensure enough doctors are on hand to treat patients across the emirate.
In case of a medical complaint or malpractice, the medical liability during this time will lie between the professional and the facilities where medical services have been provided.
Any movement between health facilities should first be granted in writing between the hospital concerned and health professional.
Previous rules stated a healthcare professional holding a DHA licence was only authorised to work in a hospital that has offered them employment.
The rule applied to all staff, including doctors, nurses and other allied healthcare professionals like technicians, laboratory professionals and other workers.
Those conditions have been suspended to allow hospitals experiencing a shortage of doctors due to enforced pressures from Covid-19 to freely employ replacement staff from other facilities.
A doctor employed with a hospital can also consult patients in other hospitals provided they have a part-time licence obtained by the facility which is temporarily employing the doctor.
A spokesman for VPS Healthcare, one of the country’s largest medical providers, said the relaxation of rules will help ease the flow of patients through the healthcare system.
“These measures aim to tackle any contingent situation,” he said.
“This is a decisive step as it shows the government is preparing the healthcare system to meet any urgent requirements in the backdrop of Covid-19.”