The Dubai Health Regulation Department and the General Medical Council (GMC), an independent medical regulator in the UK, have signed a deal to exchange physician information between the two bodies.

General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent medical regulator in the UK responsible for 250,000 doctors and the DHA regulation department is the regulator for both healthcare facilities and medical professionals in the emirate and presently the department has licensed more than 21,000 healthcare professionals in the emirate.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) is aimed at protecting patients, said a statement.

Under the deal, if any healthcare professional is blacklisted either in the UK or in Dubai, the two parties will share this information so that the professional cannot work in either of the countries, it said.

The cooperation also includes facilitating and verifying certificates of good standing and/or certificates of current professional status for healthcare professionals in both the countries.

Doctors, who wish to practice medicine in either the UK or Dubai, can request for a good standing/current professional status certificate from their local regulator. A certificate will be provided, which will help them to apply for a job in either the UK or Dubai and thus the MoU will significantly benefit healthcare professionals in both countries, said the statement.

Essa Al Maidoor, director-general of DHA, said: “Health regulation is an integral aspect of the healthcare sector as it aims to protect patients and facilitates constant updates in healthcare standards, which ensures delivery of quality medical care for the population. We are pleased to cooperate with GMC as they have a long-standing history in the field of health regulation.”

Niall Dickson, the chief executive and registrar of the GMC, said the aim is to promote patient safety and ensure high quality health. "We recognise the importance of co-operating with other relevant authorities. This co-operation reaffirms our commitment to encourage greater international collaboration between medical regulators.” - TradeArabia News Service