Home nursing and elderly care in Dubai: costs, licences and what to ask

In Dubai, home nursing comes from health facilities licensed by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), and every visiting nurse must hold a DHA licence. As of November 2026, a single nursing visit typically costs AED 100 to 250, a 12-hour nurse shift AED 600 to 1,300, and a monthly package of daily 12-hour shifts AED 12,000 to 25,000.

Prices vary with the level of care, the nurse's grade, day or night shifts and how long you book. A carer who helps with bathing, meals and walking costs less than a registered nurse who gives injections or manages a drip.

This guide explains who does what, how to check a nurse or a provider on the official DHA registry, what a proper care plan looks like, what insurance may cover and the warning signs of an unlicensed "nurse". It is general information, not medical advice. Your loved one's doctor should decide what level of care they need.

People use "nurse" loosely in Dubai, so it helps to know the roles. The DHA's Standards for Home Healthcare Services, effective from 19 February 2025, set out what each licensed professional does at home.

• Registered nurse (RN): assesses the patient, writes and adjusts the nursing care plan, gives prescribed medicines including injections and IVs, manages wound care, catheters, tube feeding, insulin and oxygen, and takes blood. This is the person you need after surgery or for a complex condition.
• Assistant nurse: also DHA-licensed. Helps with bathing, dressing, feeding, toileting, turning in bed and moving from bed to chair, checks basic vital signs, records care and reports changes to the supervising RN. Under the standard, assistant nurses support the RN with medicines under supervision rather than giving them on their own.
• Physician: must assess the patient face to face before home healthcare starts, and the medical care plan is built with the treating doctor.
• Carer or companion without a DHA licence: can keep someone company, help around the house and remind them about daily routines, but should not carry out clinical tasks.
• Nanny or maid: a domestic worker employed by your household. Dubai's official domestic workers page lists "home nurse" and "nanny/babysitter" as separate domestic worker occupations, hired through an approved recruitment agency.

If a domestic worker is helping an elderly parent, keep clinical tasks such as injections, IV lines and wound dressings with a DHA-licensed nurse. For hiring a live-in helper, our guide to hiring a maid or nanny in the UAE covers the legal routes and costs.

In Dubai, the DHA standard is clear on two points. First, every healthcare professional delivering home healthcare must be licensed and registered with the DHA. Second, home healthcare is a service run by a licensed health facility: hospitals and certain outpatient facilities, such as clinics, polyclinics and day surgical centres, apply through DHA's Sheryan platform for permission to provide it. Each home healthcare provider must employ at least one physician and one registered nurse, and has a medical director who supervises the staff.

In practice, that means a nurse should come to your home through a licensed provider, not as a freelancer you found on social media.

In Abu Dhabi, home healthcare is regulated by the Department of Health (DOH). In July 2023 it reported 58 accredited home healthcare providers in the emirate and the cancellation of 12 providers' licences for not meeting its home healthcare standards. Ask any Abu Dhabi provider for its DOH licence number.

In the northern emirates, ask the provider which health authority issued its licence (often the federal Ministry of Health and Prevention, MOHAP) and confirm it with that authority before care starts.

You can browse licensed home nursing providers in Dubai on Moathaq, where we check each business's trade licence. A trade licence is not the same as a health licence, so still check the DHA registry as described below.

Checking takes a few minutes and is worth doing before anyone enters your home.

1. Ask for the provider's DHA facility licence number and the full legal name on the licence. A genuine provider gives both without fuss.
2. Search the official registry. The DHA's Dubai Medical Registry on Sheryan has a Professionals tab and a Facilities tab. Look up the facility, then the nurse who will visit. Check the licence category (registered nurse or assistant nurse) and that the nurse is linked to that facility.
3. Ask the nurse to show their DHA licence on the first visit and compare the name with the registry.
4. Check the business's trade licence too. Our guide on how to verify a UAE trade licence shows how to do it in two minutes.
5. Read the paperwork. Before services start, you should be asked to sign a consent form, and the provider should explain what is included, the shift times and what happens in an emergency.

If the name on the invoice, the licence and the person at your door do not match, stop and ask why.

There is no official price list. These are typical market prices in Dubai as of November 2026, based on price guides published by several Dubai home healthcare providers. Prices vary, so always get a written quote from two or three licensed home nursing providers.

• Single nursing visit for a task such as an injection, a dressing change or a blood test: typically AED 100 to 250.
• Hourly nurse booking: typically AED 80 to 200 an hour, and up to about AED 300 for skilled clinical care.
• Hourly carer for non-medical help: typically AED 80 to 150 an hour.
• 12-hour registered nurse shift: typically AED 600 to 1,200 for a day shift and AED 700 to 1,300 for a night shift.
• 24-hour care with rotating nurses: typically AED 1,200 to 2,400 a day.
• Monthly package with one 12-hour nurse shift a day: typically AED 12,000 to 25,000.
• Live-in or 24-hour carer package: typically AED 8,000 to 18,000 a month, depending on what the provider includes.

What moves the price:

• Grade of staff: a registered nurse costs more than an assistant nurse or carer.
• Clinical tasks: IV therapy, tracheostomy care or complex wound care need more skill.
• Night and weekend shifts, short notice and public holidays.
• Length of booking: monthly packages usually work out cheaper per shift than booking day by day.
• Consumables and equipment: dressings, syringes and hire of a hospital bed or oxygen are often extra.

A worked example: your father comes home after a hip operation and needs a nurse every day for four weeks. Booked shift by shift at AED 700, 28 day shifts cost AED 19,600. A monthly 12-hour package from the same provider may cost less, so ask for both prices.

Health insurance cover for home nursing varies a lot by policy. It usually depends on the policy, medical necessity and the insurer's approval. Some plans pay for a limited period of home nursing after a hospital stay, while many basic plans pay little or nothing.

Ask your insurer, not the provider, these questions:

• Does my policy cover home nursing, and is it only after an inpatient stay?
• Is there a limit per day, per year or a maximum number of days?
• Do I need pre-approval, and what documents does the doctor need to send?
• Must the provider be in your network, and is it DHA-licensed?
• Are physiotherapy visits, consumables or equipment hire covered separately?

Get the answer in writing, by email or through the insurer's app, before the first shift. Claims for care from an unlicensed carer will almost certainly be refused.

Under the DHA standard, a qualified physician assesses the patient face to face before home healthcare starts, and the care plan is developed with the treating doctor. The patient's record should include:

• a medical history, allergies and a list of current medicines with dose, route and frequency
• the care plan itself, with goals, the care to be given and the expected outcomes, and any changes with the reason
• risk assessments, for example for falls and pressure sores, and how they will be managed
• the doctor's signed orders
• a signed consent form
• notes of each visit, including vital signs

Ask to see the plan and keep a copy. A good plan also says who to call at night, how often a supervisor reviews the care and how the provider will transfer your relative to hospital in an emergency.

Medicines and safety. The DHA standard says medicines must be clearly labelled with the patient's name, the medicine, dose, instructions and expiry date, and recorded every time they are given. Physicians and registered nurses prepare and give medicines; assistant nurses support them under supervision. Keep all medicines in one place, and do not let anyone change a dose without the doctor's instruction.

Small changes at home help too: clear walkways, good night lighting, grab rails by the toilet and shower, and a bed at the right height. A handyman or carpenter can fit rails and adjust furniture; our guide to carpentry and furniture repair in Dubai covers what that work costs.

Other warning signs:

• No DHA facility licence number, or a name you cannot find on the Dubai Medical Registry.
• A nurse who will not show a licence, or a different person turns up each day without notice.
• Care starts without any assessment, care plan or consent form.
• A provider who offers to "adjust" medicines without the doctor.
• Pressure to pay a month or more in advance in cash, with no invoice.

Questions to ask the provider:

1. What is your DHA facility licence number, and who is your medical director?
2. Will the nurse be a registered nurse or an assistant nurse, and can I see their licence?
3. Who supervises the nurse, and how often will the supervisor visit or call?
4. What happens if the nurse is ill or my relative's condition gets worse at night?
5. Which hospital do you work with for emergency transfers?
6. What exactly is in the price, and what is extra?
7. What is the notice period to change or cancel the package?

Caring for an older parent is also emotionally hard. If you or your relative are struggling, a licensed counsellor can help.

When you are ready, compare licence-checked home nursing providers on Moathaq, check their DHA licences, and request quotes from two or three.