NABIDH and your sexual health records: who can see what

What NABIDH is

NABIDH (Network and Analysis Backbone for Integrated Dubai Health) is the Dubai Health Authority's health information exchange. Licensed hospitals, clinics, labs and pharmacies in Dubai connect to it so that key parts of your record, such as diagnoses, allergies, medicines and lab results, can follow you between providers.

For most care this is useful. An emergency doctor who can see that you are allergic to penicillin can treat you more safely. But for sexual health, many people reasonably want to know who else can see their results.

How sexual health data is protected

In 2025 the DHA introduced its Standards for Health Information Consent and Access Control, effective from April 2025. Under those standards, sexual health information, including sexually transmitted infections and HIV, is classed as sensitive information. Sensitive information has tighter, role-based access controls than the rest of your record.

This sits on top of the general protections in UAE law:

• Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 makes health information confidential and limits when it can be shared without your consent.
• The UAE medical liability law bans healthcare professionals from disclosing patient secrets except in narrow cases.
• UAE health data must generally be stored inside the country, with limited exceptions set by the Ministry.

Can a doctor I see for something else see my STD test?

A clinician treating you may be able to see information relevant to your care, subject to the access rules for sensitive information. DHA standards require access to be audited and limited to healthcare professionals whose role needs it, with emergency "break the glass" access for defined roles. Looking at a record without a care reason is a breach of the rules.

How to opt out of NABIDH

The DHA allows patients to opt out of the NABIDH exchange. Ask any DHA-licensed healthcare facility for the NABIDH opt-out consent form. Sign it and send it to the DHA NABIDH team at Nabidh.optout@dha.gov.ae, and the DHA will process your request.

Opting out stops your information being shared through the exchange. It does not:

• delete the record held by the clinic, lab or service that treated you, which must keep records under UAE law
• stop required public-health notifications to the DHA for notifiable infections
• remove data already submitted to an insurer for a claim

Think about the trade-off. If you opt out, a future emergency doctor may not see important information such as allergies or current medicines.

How long records are kept

UAE health-data law requires health records to be kept for at least 25 years from the last procedure. That is a legal duty of every provider, not a choice.

Practical steps

1. Use a DHA-licensed provider. Licensed providers are bound by these rules; unlicensed ones are not.
2. Ask your provider how your results are recorded and shared.
3. Pay directly if you do not want an insurance claim.
4. Decide whether a NABIDH opt-out is right for you.

For the wider picture, read is HIV and STD testing confidential in Dubai.