Here you can find out more about hospital licenses, the procedure for opening a hospital, minimum standards for hospital licensure, application forms and fees, and contact details for existing hospitals in Bahrain.

• License Types
• Procedure for Opening a Hospital
• Standards
• Application Form
• Fees

License Types

Please note that each department in a hospital needs to be run by a dedicated consultant.

Please note that this procedure is currently under revision. New instructions on how to apply as well as updated application forms will be distributed soon.

1. Retrieve an application form from the Licensure Office
2. Go to the cashier at the Directorate of Finance in the Ministry of Health and pay the application fee
3. Fill out and submit the application with the required documents (e.g., architectural drawings) to the Licensure Office
4. Receive from the Licensure Office:
   • initial approval of the project after the medical committee and the medical profession registrar have reviewed the application
   • approval of the building by the Engineering Affairs Department
   • letter to take to the municipality for approval for building a hospital in the suggested area
5. Receive from the municipality: approval for building a hospital in the suggested area
6. Start building the hospital
7. Submit a list of medical equipment to be used in the hospital along with information regarding this equipment to the Licensure Office (which will forward it to the Medical Equipment Directorate)
8. Receive approval for the equipment from the Licensure Office
9. Inform the Licensure Office when the hospital has been equipped with the approved equipment so that inspections can take place
10. Let inspectors conduct inspections (Note: there may be several rounds of inspections)
11. Receive recommendations from inspectors and make suggested changes
12. Submit documents relating to the health professionals that you wish to employ to the Licensure Office. After receiving approval for the building, the Licensure Office will send a letter to the Ministry of Labor regarding these health professionals so that they can be issued work permits if needed. Please note that health professionals are not allowed to work until they are licensed
13. Receive notification from the Licensure Office that all staff has been licensed
14. Let inspectors make a final inspection visit. The final inspector report will be the basis for the medical committee and the medical profession registrar to make a recommendation to be approved by the Minister
15. Receive notification from the Licensure Office that the hospital license has been approved
16. Go the Licensure Office and pick up the license

The hospital may now open its doors to patients and start providing health services as specified in the license.

Standards The Licensure Office is currently reviewing and revising the minimum standards for hospitals and will be publishing the result of this work shortly.

Application Form
The application form for hospitals and other health institutes is currently under revision. The existing form (which is in the current law) can be retrieved from the Licensure Office.

Fees
Here you can find the current license fees for health institutes in Bahrain. Today the application fee, and renewal license fee are the same within each category of health institutes. Note that licensure fees are subjected to periodical review by Ministry of Health

License fees should be paid at the cashier in the Directorate of Finance at the Ministry of Health.