Legislation brief:

This federal law was issued to ensure the optimal use of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the UAE’s health sector and guarantee the compatibility of the adopted principles, standards and practices with their internationally recognised counterparts. The law also aims to maintain the safety and security of health data and information, enabling the Ministry of Health and Prevention to collect, analyse and preserve healthcare related information across the UAE.

This federal law regulates the use of ICT in the healthcare sector in the UAE, including its free zones. It defines the controls and obligations for the use of information and communication technology in terms of maintaining the confidentiality of health data and information, procedures for processing them as per the law, and ensuring the validity and credibility of the health data by protecting them from destruction, unauthorised amendment, alteration, deletion or addition. Furthermore, the law outlines penalties and disciplinary sanctions applied on violators of the law provisions.