Ministry of Health and Prevention
MOHAP · United Arab Emirates · middle east
UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention — federal authority over health products; leech-specific regulation has not been independently verified by ASH.
Regulatory Profile
- Agency type
- national regulator
- Region
- middle east
- Country
- United Arab Emirates
- Leech status
- unregulated
- Last ASH review
- 2026-05-25
- Website
- https://mohap.gov.ae
Relevant Regulation Codes
- UAE Federal Law on Pharmaceutical Profession and Establishments
- UAE national medical-device registration framework
Prescriber Requirements
- MOHAP- / DoH-Abu Dhabi- / DHA-Dubai-licensed physician prescription required
- Traditional and complementary medicine (TCAM) practitioner licensing varies by emirate; specific hirudotherapy authorisation not independently verified by ASH
Supply Chain & GMP
MOHAP product registration; bilingual Arabic / English labelling.
Import/Export Rules
MOHAP import licence plus Ministry of Climate Change and Environment veterinary clearance for live invertebrates; CITES Appendix II paperwork.
Reimbursement Context
Thiqa, ENAYA, Daman, and private insurance coverage for hirudotherapy not independently verified by ASH.
ASH Editorial Notes
UAE health regulation is split federally (MOHAP) and at emirate level (DoH-Abu Dhabi, DHA-Dubai). Specific leech regulatory pathway has not been independently verified by ASH. UAE has expanding traditional and complementary medicine licensing including for hijama (cupping); whether hirudotherapy is similarly licensed has not been confirmed.
Related Jurisdictions
Israeli MoH — Israel
Israel's Ministry of Health (Misrad HaBri'ut) — leech therapy regulated under the Pharmacists' Ordinance with Medical Devices Division oversight; significant clinical use in reconstructive and microsurgery services.
EDA — Egypt
Egypt's Egyptian Drug Authority (formed 2019, replacing the older CAPA / Central Administration of Pharmaceutical Affairs) — leech therapy regulated as a medical device with parallel traditional-medicine context.
SFDA — Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia's SFDA — leech therapy supervised under medical-device pathway, with Saudi Vision 2030 expansion of traditional/complementary medicine via NCCAM-KSA at the Ministry of Health.
MoPH-Pharmacy — Lebanon
Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health Pharmacy Department — leech-specific regulatory pathway has not been independently verified by ASH; medicinal leeches fall under the general national pharmaceutical and medical device framework as appropriate.