01
Clinicians opening their own practice
A dentist, physician or specialist with a clear idea and a careful budget. We handle the space, the approvals and the systems so you can focus on patients.
Setting up in the UAE
From first idea to first patient, with one accountable team
Setting up a healthcare business involves dozens of decisions across finance, law, regulation, design, technology and people. Most of them look small until one is missed. Forte covers the whole chain, so owners and investors deal with one team instead of eight.
28
years of international healthcare experience
149
hospitals, day surgery centres and clinics managed
1
accountable team from concept to opening
Who we work with
Built for first-time owners and seasoned operators
02
Investors and family offices
A healthcare asset tested against real demand before capital is committed, then delivered by the team that wrote the plan.
03
Healthcare groups adding a facility
A new clinic, day surgery centre or hospital wing, licensed and integrated with your existing operations.
04
International operators entering the UAE
Partner selection, local regulation and a licensing route rebuilt for the emirate you are entering.
The set-up pathway
Eight steps, one sequence
The order matters as much as the content. A lease signed before a licence check can sink a project. Advertising approvals cannot start until the facility is licensed. Insurers need to be connected before the first invoice, not after. We run the steps in an order that keeps each one from blocking the next.
What we handle at each step
1 Concept and feasibility
Market and competitor study, demand and catchment analysis, specialty and service mix, a five-year business plan by specialty.
2 Funding and finance
Financial model and capital plan, budget control through the project, investor and lender outreach, and the financial reporting an investor expects.
3 Incorporation and trade name
Choice of entity and jurisdiction, company incorporation, trade name reservation, shareholder and signatory arrangements, bank and tax registrations.
4 Space and lease
Site identification against catchment and licensing rules, landlord and technical due diligence, lease negotiation and registration.
5 Licences and approvals
Trade licence, health authority facility approval (DHA in Dubai), professional licences for each clinician, advertising approvals, radiation and equipment licences, municipal sign-off.
6 Design and build
Space programme, medical planning, layouts for authority approval, detailed design, equipment and MEP planning, tendering and site supervision.
7 Insurance, IT and revenue cycle
Insurer empanelment and tariffs, e-claims, electronic records and imaging, network and security, and billing processes that get paid.
8 People and launch
Recruitment and induction, physician revenue models, brand and website, soft and full launch, then operations and performance reviews.
Registrations and approvals
Three tracks that have to finish together
A clinic cannot open until three things are ready at the same time: the company, the facility and the business engine behind it. They run on different timelines, with different authorities and different owners, which is why they are so often out of step. We plan them as one programme.
Which authority
The licensing authority depends on the emirate and the zone. In Dubai, most facilities are licensed by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA); facilities inside Dubai Healthcare City are licensed by its own regulator. Abu Dhabi has its own Department of Health, and in the other emirates facilities are licensed by the federal Ministry of Health and Prevention or the local health authority. We confirm the right route for your site before the lease is signed.
Professional licences
Every doctor, nurse and allied health professional needs their own licence for the facility they will work in. We track each application and its renewal date alongside the facility licence, so no clinician is waiting on paperwork on opening day.
Licence and format
The decision that shapes everything else
The facility licence decides what you can treat, how many staff you need and how much capital you commit. Our usual advice is to open with the leaner model, prove the services that earn, and phase in complexity as demand and doctor relationships develop.
01
Clinic or polyclinic
Outpatient care with a compact footprint. In family neighbourhoods, a dental or general clinic can anchor a small polyclinic that shares reception, pharmacy and diagnostics.
Dental and community clinics →02
Day surgery centre
Procedures with same-day discharge and no overnight beds. Lower capital and staffing cost, best for a focused, high-throughput launch.
Boutique day surgery →03
Hospital
Short or longer stays, a broader surgical scope and stronger tariffs, with overnight nursing, house physicians and more capital. Can be phased in from a day surgery start.
Project management →Location
Catchment drives results more than design does
We look at the population within a short drive, how many of those residents are families or working adults, and where the competing clinics and hospitals sit. Mixed-use districts, where staff accommodation, residential blocks and workplaces sit close together, can support extended hours and volume-based pricing. Premium residential communities suit a different model, with fewer patients, higher spend and a stronger emphasis on aesthetics.
We map the catchment, check what competitors offer and charge, and test the proposed service mix against it. If the numbers do not stack up, we say so before the lease is signed.
What we check on every unit
- Landlord approval and zoning for healthcare use
- Visibility, access and parking
- Neighbouring clinics, hospitals and pharmacies
- Lease term, rent-free fit-out period, break clauses and service charges
- Space for a second phase, so the clinic can grow without moving
Launch
Planned around the one date you cannot move
Advertising approvals follow the facility licence, so brand work begins early while publishing waits. We plan marketing, staffing and fit-out around that fixed point, instead of letting authority timing surprise the opening date.
Timeline
A budget-conscious path to opening
Weeks 1 to 4
Concept, service mix, shortlist of premises, authority requirements and budget envelope.
Weeks 4 to 12
Lease agreed, layout approved in principle, equipment and IT quotations compared, trade licence in progress.
Weeks 12 to 26
Fit-out, equipment delivery, facility inspection, staff recruitment and professional licensing, insurer empanelment.
Opening
Soft launch with local marketing, then a review of utilisation and service mix at the end of the first quarter.
Timelines are indicative and depend on the premises, the emirate and authority workload. Hospital-scale projects follow a longer programme: see the 36-month programme.
Six mistakes we help owners avoid
01
Signing the lease too early
Before checking that the premises can be licensed for the intended use. A day of due diligence saves months.
02
A layout the regulator rejects
Room sizes, flows and clinical zoning that fail inspection and force a costly redesign.
03
Equipment bought in the wrong order
Spending on items that do not earn in the first phase, while essentials arrive late.
04
Advertising before the licence
Brand work can start early, but nothing can be published until the facility licence and advertising approvals are in place.
05
Insurers connected too late
Empanelment and e-claims set up after opening, so the first months are billed in cash or not at all.
06
Systems that do not talk to each other
A billing system that never connects to the insurer portal, or records that do not reach the doctor.
Questions we are often asked
How long does it take to open a clinic in Dubai?
A small clinic typically takes around six months from concept to opening, depending on the premises, the fit-out and authority workload. Hospitals follow a longer programme.
Can I start seeing patients before the DHA licence is issued?
No. The facility must be licensed, and each clinician must hold their own professional licence, before any patient is seen. Advertising also needs its own approval after the facility is licensed.
Should I set up on the mainland or in a free zone?
Each option has different rules on where you can operate, which authority licenses you and how ownership is structured. We compare them against your plan and your site before you commit.
Should I lease a new unit or buy a going concern?
It depends on how much of the licence, team and patient base is genuinely transferable. We review both routes against the same budget before advising.
Do you help doctors with their professional licences?
Yes. Professional licensing for each clinician is part of our licences and approvals work, tracked alongside the facility licence.
Is insurance worth the effort for a small clinic?
For most clinics it is an important stream, but not every panel suits every patient mix. We decide with the owner which insurers to join and set up tariffs and e-claims before the first invoice.
Do you stay involved after opening?
Yes, if you want us to. We run operations and performance reviews, and can manage the clinic against revenue and margin targets.
Prefer to talk it through? Call +971 55 557 3611.
Weighing a clinic, a hospital wing or a day surgery centre?
We are happy to talk through the questions above. There is no obligation, and the first conversation costs you nothing.