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Day Surgery Centre Setup and Licensing in the UAE

Reviewed by Eng. Afrin Nakshabi, Healthcare Planning & Infrastructure Engineer on

A day surgery centre is the hardest outpatient facility to get right on paper. Operating theatres, recovery, sterile and clean flows, medical gases, air handling and backup power all have to work together before the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) or the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH) will license it. Alpha Health Group plans the theatres and building services with the layout from the first drawing, then carries the facility through licensing, documentation and the final inspection.

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Who this is for

Surgeons and groups opening their own surgical centre, hospital groups adding an ambulatory site, investors entering surgical care, and owners of a centre whose licence has lapsed or whose expansion has stalled. We also take over projects that are part built or did not pass an authority audit.

What sets a surgical centre apart

  • The number of operating theatres follows the classification. In Dubai, the DHA standards for standalone day surgery centres set how many operating theatres a centre needs for its category, so the classification is decided before the layout.
  • Theatre layout and workflow decide approval. Patient, staff, sterile supply and waste routes must not cross, and recovery has to sit next to the theatres. Operating theatre layout, workflow and the engineering drawings are where most day surgery projects run into trouble.
  • Building services are planned with the rooms. Medical gases, HVAC for the theatres and backup power are designed together with the layout, not added after it. Changing them late means reworking the fit-out.
  • Imaging needs its own approval. Theatres with X-ray or fluoroscopy need approval from FANR for the radiation equipment, which we plan into the shielding and the schedule.

Updated: Oct 30, 2026

How we take it from plan to licence

  • Classification and planning: the specialties and procedures you will offer, the facility category, the number of theatres, and a gap analysis against the DHA or DOH standards.
  • Engineering design and approval: theatre and recovery layout, medical gases, HVAC and power backup, equipment planning, and the drawings submitted for authority approval.
  • Licensing and documentation: the facility application, policies and procedures, staff licensing and credentialing, equipment and biomedical documentation, and mandatory service contracts.
  • Inspection readiness: a mock inspection against the authority standards, with every gap listed with an owner and a date.
  • Final inspection and licence: we attend the inspection with your team through to the facility licence, then stay on for operational management if you want us to.

Timelines depend on the classification, the building and the fit-out, so we set yours after the first planning phase rather than quote a number up front.

Surgical centres we have delivered

  • Broadway Vascular Surgery Center, Dubai: a turnkey specialised surgical facility with two operating theatres for vascular procedures, from concept to DHA licensing within six months.
  • Bonecare Day Surgery Centre, Abu Dhabi: an expired licence reactivated under current DOH standards within six months, with orthopaedics and plastic surgery launched, and Alpha retained for operational management.
  • Royal Spanish Center: engineering design, authority approvals and management outsourcing for an ophthalmic network of day surgery and primary care branches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, over four years and ongoing.

What is not included in our fee

Government fees, construction and fit-out work, surgical and medical equipment and consumables, IT and patient record systems, and malpractice insurance.

Related: day surgery centre consulting for centres already operating, and facility licensing and setup for other facility types.

Service Leader
Ahmad Ali
Ahmad Ali
Business Consultant

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Day Surgery Centre Setup and Licensing in the UAE and our approach.

It depends on the facility category. In Dubai, the DHA standards for standalone day surgery centres link the number of operating theatres to the category, so we settle the classification with you before any layout is drawn.

It depends on the classification, the building and the fit-out. Two of our recent projects, Broadway Vascular in Dubai and the Bonecare reactivation in Abu Dhabi, each reached licensing within six months. We give you a schedule after the first planning phase.

Yes. We assess the facility against current standards, fix the gaps in infrastructure, equipment and documentation, and take it through to reactivation, as we did for Bonecare.

Yes. Our engineering team plans medical gases, theatre air handling and backup power together with the layout, then follows them through approval and construction. See infrastructure planning and engineering design.

Yes, under both DHA in Dubai and DOH in Abu Dhabi. For Abu Dhabi, see also healthcare facility licensing in Abu Dhabi.

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