Patient’s Rights and Responsibilities
Rights Respected,
Responsibilities Embraced.
Being a valued patient in the Dubai Health authority, you and your family have the following rights:
- Receive a written copy of the Patient and Family bill of Rights from reception, registration office, or Communication and Customer Relations Office. If, for any reason, you don't understand them, please contact the Administrative Officer in the Health Center or Communication and Customer Relations Office (Toll-free No: 800342 or 800DHA) for any help including providing an interpreter (if any).
- Receive impartial care respecting your personal values and beliefs from all staff without discrimination, according to DHA rules and regulations.
- Receive comprehensive medical care aiming at reaching proper medical diagnosis and treatment of your illness and/or injury.
- Receive immediate care in emergency cases.
- Know the identity (name & specialty) of the physician responsible for your care.
- Receive from the health care team in a simple understandable manner comprehensive information about your diagnosis, proposed treatment, any changes in your health status and causes of such changes, alternative treatment, probabilities of treatment success or failure, therapy advantages and disadvantages (if any), possible problems related to treatment and expected results of ignoring the treatment.
- Have an interpreter (upon availability) if the language presents a barrier to understanding details of your comprehensive medical care.
- You have the right to have a person of one's own sex present during certain parts of a physical examination, treatment or procedure performed by a health professional of the opposite sex and the right not to remain disrobed any longer than is required for accomplishing the medical purpose for which disrobing was needed.
- Participate in your care decision-making. DHA encourage patients, parents, or legal guardians, to the extent they wish, to participate in planning and implementing the treatment with nurses and physicians.
- Obtain a medical report and a copy of medical test results from the medical records section (upon your request), for which the health center will charge according to DHA rules and regulations.
- Enjoy privacy while carrying out all examinations, procedures, and treatment at the health center, and confidentiality of all your information.
- Choose the treating doctor (depends on availability), in addition to reject him/her upon furnishing a genuine reason.
- Refuse the treatment (if wish so). Thus, the treatment doctor must inform you of the medical consequences of your refusal. Accordingly, you shall sign a form prepared to that effect.
- Refuse examination or access to your treatment details by any person not directly responsible for your care. For persons who are not directly involved in your treatment, must have your prior permission to attend your case discussion, examination, and treatment.
- Be protected during treatment from any physical, verbal, or psychological assault.
- Receive information from the treating doctor (in case you would like to donate any body organ) about donation process including advantages and disadvantages (if any).
- Have a family member or guardian as an escort depending on your health status, as per DHA rules and regulations. However; due to medical reasons, certain units do not allow this.
- Receive complete explanation of causes to be transferred to another care center (should need arise), consequent obligations (financial and administrative, if any), and alternatives.
- Then, the Health Center management will take all necessary arrangements to obtain the alternate medical center approval to receive the referred patient before starting the transfer process.
- Receive upon your request an itemized bill explaining all charges regardless paid by yourself or by another source.
- Complain, suggest, and comment on services through Communication and Customer Relations Office (Toll Free 800342).
- View your medical record under the supervision of the treating doctor or medical team staff, according to DHA rules and regulations.
- DHA respects your right to appropriate assessment and management of pain through evidence based practices and provides you with all necessary information in this regard.
- In case of any new scientific research conducted by DHA pertaining to your treatment, your doctor will inform you on all related issues including potential benefits and risks, therapeutic alternatives, and medical research protocol details.
- If you are asked to participate in medical research, you have the right to give a written consent or refuse. On the other hand, you have the right to end your participation at any time for any reason, noting that this will not compromise the quality of medical services provided to you.
- DHA is committed to provide terminally ill and dying patients with decent and compassionate care respecting their unique needs, according to DHA rules and regulations.
Being a valued patient in Dubai Health Authority, you and your family have the following responsibilities:
- Respect the Health Center's rules and regulations.
- Show consideration for others and deal with other patients and staff with respect.
- Respect the privacy and comfort of other patients.
- Provide complete and accurate information about present complaints, past illness, previous hospitalization and treatment, and any known allergy.
- Follow the treating doctor's instructions.
- Give your written General Consent for treatment at DHA upon visit to the Health Center.
- Give your written informed consent before any minor surgery, anesthesia or any other procedures that entail your written consent (according to DHA rules and regulations); after receiving all information that you may need. This must include the procedure benefits, available alternatives and all possible risks (if any).
- Hold the responsibility for refusing or not following the treatment plan, after being informed of consequences.
- Avoid delay in taking appointment from the Medical Records section, as soon as it is requested by the doctor.
- Attend the appointment on time. If you want to cancel it, inform the Medical Records Section 48 hours in advance.
- Respect the priority given to emergency cases.
- Observe safety regulations including the no-smoking policy, maintaining the cleanliness of the place, hand hygiene, etc.
- Ensure that financial obligations due for DHA are fulfilled promptly (if any).
- Give requested samples and attend medical check up on time.
- Avoid bringing valuables personal belongings to the Health Center. The Health center will not be held responsible for damage or loss of such belongings. However, in emergency cases, you must notify nurses and give them these valuables in the presence of the Health Center's security staff against duty signed special forms.
- You must keep a copy of this form and verify the recipient's official identity. The Health Center management is not responsible for any consequences resulting from non-adherence to above instructions.
