Most Dubai residents change clinics more often than they expect — a new job brings a new insurance network, a favourite doctor moves, or the family relocates altogether. When records stay scattered across patient portals and paper files, the next doctor starts from scratch and you end up repeating tests. Keeping your own organised copy of your medical records is simple, legal and surprisingly useful. Here is how the system works in Dubai, and what to collect before you switch or leave.
Your right to your own records
Patients in Dubai are entitled to request copies of their medical records from hospitals and clinics regulated by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). Facilities keep the original file, but you can typically obtain summaries, consultation notes, test results, imaging reports and discharge letters for your own use or to share with a new provider. Requests are usually made through medical records or reception teams, sometimes via a form or the facility’s patient portal, and a small administrative fee may apply for printed or certified copies.
Dubai is also rolling out shared electronic records through the NABIDH platform, connecting many facilities so authorised clinicians can see key information. That helps, but it does not replace your own copy: older records may not be included, and once you leave the UAE portal access may end. Confirm arrangements on dha.gov.ae or with your clinic.
What to collect, clinic by clinic
Think in categories rather than grabbing everything. For most adults and children, the useful core set is:
- Consultation and clinic summary letters, especially for ongoing or significant conditions
- Recent blood test results and any results that were abnormal and needed follow-up
- Imaging reports for X-rays, ultrasounds, CT and MRI scans, plus the images themselves on disc or download link if surgery or specialist care is likely
- Operation notes and hospital discharge summaries
- Vaccination records for adults and children, including school and travel vaccines
- Current prescription list, with doses, and any allergies recorded clearly
- For children, growth records and developmental or therapy reports
- Eye prescriptions, dental charts and recent dental X-rays, which often sit outside hospital systems
Ask for records in English if you are moving to a non-Arabic-speaking country, and check that names and dates of birth match passports exactly. Small spelling differences can cause real delays when a new clinic or insurer tries to match files.
How to organise and store them safely
Create one folder per family member, with subfolders by year or by provider. Name files clearly, for example with the date, provider and type of document, so a new doctor can find a result in seconds. Keep scans as PDFs where possible rather than photographs of pages, which are hard to read and search.
Store the main copy in a secure cloud account you control personally, not only on a work laptop you will lose when you change jobs. Keep a backup, use a strong password and two-factor authentication, and send records to a new clinic through its official channel rather than open messaging apps. Scan paper originals and keep them in one labelled folder for hand luggage, never checked baggage.
Changing clinics within Dubai
Before your first appointment elsewhere, ask the old clinic for a transfer summary and send key documents in advance. Tell the new doctor what is pending: results awaited, referrals open, repeat prescriptions due. Check whether insurance needs a referral or pre-approval for the new specialist, and confirm both clinics have your current mobile and email.
Leaving Dubai for good
Start earlier than you think — around two to three months before departure is comfortable for most people. Book final reviews, request records from every provider including dentists and opticians, and settle how you will receive any results that arrive after you leave. Ask about medication for the gap between leaving and registering with a doctor in your new country, and keep prescriptions and a doctor’s letter with medicines in hand luggage.
A tidy record folder will not be the most exciting part of a move, but it protects your care. Collect the core documents, store them securely under your own control, and hand your next doctor a clear story instead of a puzzle.