DHA Medical Equipment Management Standards: Dubai Records Checklist

Quick answer: the DHA Standards for Medical Equipment Management (DHA/HRS/HPSD/ST-38, issued 16 November 2023, effective 16 January 2024) apply to all health facilities licensed by the Dubai Health Authority. They ask each facility to keep an up-to-date inventory with asset tags and device details, service and calibration records for each item, a PPM schedule, recall records, an annual risk assessment and maintenance KPIs. This checklist maps each standard to the records you should be able to show, and to the questions to ask a software vendor.

The standard covers DHA-licensed facilities only. Facilities licensed in Abu Dhabi or by the Ministry of Health and Prevention follow their own regulator's rules. This is a buyer guide, not legal advice.

What do the DHA medical equipment management standards cover?

The DHA standard has eight standards that follow equipment from arrival to removal. Standard One asks facilities to cover all installed equipment, including homecare and ambulance services, and to write policies for every lifecycle stage: acquisition, installation, condemnation, breakdown and preventive maintenance, inventory, tagging and tracking, risk management and recalls.

The standard does not use the term CMMS. It refers to an "inventory system" and a "medical equipment management system". Some vendor pages say DHA mandates a CMMS; the official text we reviewed does not say that.

What should each equipment inventory record contain?

Standard Three asks for an inventory that is updated every time equipment arrives or leaves service. Each item carries a biomedical asset number on a label and has its manufacturer, model, serial number, local supplier, date of purchase and location recorded. Critical equipment is marked, with a back-up or alternative for times when it fails or is under maintenance.

The example in the image is synthetic. Linking the arrival documents from Standard Two (installation report, warranty, training records) to the same record saves a search during an inspection.

How do you keep medical equipment PPM stickers, the system and checklists in step?

Item 9.4 asks for PPM stickers on the equipment that match the PPM date in the facility's medical equipment management system and in the PPM checklist. A mismatch between any two of the three is a gap to check during a walk-round.

• Set PPM frequency at least as often as the manufacturer recommends (9.2).
• Keep calibration of test equipment valid, through a certified body (9.3).
• Print the sticker from the same record that holds the completed PPM, so the dates come from one place.
• Monitor the share of PPM completed on or before the due date (11.1.2). How often you report it is your choice; the standard does not set an interval.

For due dates and certificates, see our calibration tracking guide.

What should a software demo show for a Dubai facility?

A demo should show one device's full record, from arrival documents to its latest PPM, and the reports an inspector or quality team will ask for. Bring a short extract of your register without patient data. Any step a vendor cannot show live is a question to settle in writing before you buy.

1. Find a device by asset number or label scan and show its details and location.
2. Show the arrival documents attached to that device.
3. Show the PPM schedule, a completed PPM and the date that will go on the sticker.
4. Record a recall against all affected devices and close it.
5. Produce the PPM on-time percentage and an inventory export for the month.
6. Show how a spreadsheet register is imported and how unmatched items are handled.

Comparing equipment management systems for a DHA-licensed facility? See how Assetly keeps equipment records, or book a demo and ask us to run the steps above on your own register. We will tell you which steps work as shown and which need configuration.

What should you ask about hosting and support?

Ask where data is stored, who can reach it and which records contain personal data. Item 12.2 of the standard says patient data must not be shared or stored outside the facility, in line with UAE Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 on ICT in health fields. Equipment records usually hold staff names rather than patient data, but integrations can change that, so review the actual fields with your IT team.

• Is on-premise or in-country hosting available for your site?
• Which interface languages are available today?
• What support hours apply in Gulf Standard Time, and who visits site if needed?
• Who supplies labels and readers, and who fixes them?

What software does not do

Software holds the records. Certified biomedical engineers remain responsible for maintenance (8.1), the work is done by qualified and trained staff (8.2), the facility still writes its policies (5.2), and no system makes a facility compliant on its own.

How Assetly maps to these records

Assetly is the hospital asset management product built by Nirmitee. It keeps an equipment register with manufacturer, model, serial number, department, location and warranty details, imports existing registers from a spreadsheet, and supports QR and barcode labels and handheld RFID checks. Maintenance work orders hold service history, spare parts, the person who did the work and time spent. Calibration records have due dates. There is an equipment recall module, transfer and movement history, and exportable reports for equipment inventory, PM compliance, maintenance summary, risk assessment and audit trail. On-premise deployment is available.

Ask us to show each item on your own data. Hosting, languages and support hours for a Dubai site are agreed per project; ask for them in writing.

Planning to connect equipment records with other hospital systems? See our healthcare software product development services, or talk to our team.

Related guides

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• Best CMMS software for hospitals compared
• CMMS vs RTLS for hospitals
• Hospital equipment tracking software features guide

This guide is part of our hospital asset management series.