Hepatitis knows no borders – but good health policy does

Dubai Tests – Germany Half-Commits

In Dubai, healthcare policy doesn’t start at the bedside – it begins with prevention. Anyone applying to work as a doctor there must undergo mandatory hepatitis B and C screening. This isn’t just self-protection; it’s part of a well-structured public health strategy. Since 2018, the emirate has offered free hepatitis C screening and treatment to all insured residents. The goal: full elimination by 2030.

Germany followed – timidly – in 2021. Hepatitis screenings were added to the recommended health check-ups for adults aged 35 and older, but remain voluntary and poorly communicated. A nationwide implementation strategy is lacking. If you don’t ask for the test, you probably won’t get it. The system treats rather than prevents.

Licensing With Conditions – or With Loopholes

In Dubai, prevention is not a side topic – it’s standard protocol. Foreign doctors must meet both professional and medical standards. A positive test for hepatitis B or C can lead to rejection of a work permit. Harsh? Perhaps. But it sends a clear message: public health comes first.

Germany, on the other hand, imposes no such public health requirements for professional licensing. That may seem compassionate – but it also reflects a lack of political consistency. While infection control is a national priority in the Gulf states, in Germany it’s often a footnote in bureaucratic manuals.

Doctor’s Fast Track: Dubai Moves Fast – With Structure

Another strong signal is Dubai’s Doctor’s Fast Track program. It enables international physicians to obtain professional licensing within a matter of weeks. The process is digital, structured, and aligned with the country’s broader public health objectives.

This program was created by Angela Thomas, founder of Angel Success Consulting and architect of the concept, together with Dr. Riewer, Medical Director and the medical lead on the initiative. Their shared goal: to open the UAE healthcare system to qualified physicians from around the world – efficiently, safely, and with accountability.

What’s notable is not just the speed, but the clarity: those who want to join the system must accept its standards. While Europe continues to debate labor shortages, Dubai has already built a working model – fast, pragmatic, and consistent.

A Dilemma for the Next Generation of Doctors

For young doctors, this creates a real dilemma. In Germany, they face an overloaded healthcare system with little room for prevention, and where administrative inertia is part of daily life. The appeal of the profession is declining – as is the willingness to stay in the country.

Dubai, by contrast, offers not only tax-free salaries and state-of-the-art clinics but also a health system with vision. In Dubai, prevention, digitization, and public health aren’t aspirations – they’re everyday reality.

Hepatitis: The Disease No One Wants to See

And yet the problem is solvable. Hepatitis B is preventable through vaccination. Hepatitis C can now be fully cured. Still, over 1.3 million people die every year from its consequences – more than from HIV, malaria, or tuberculosis. The problem isn’t a lack of medical knowledge. It’s a lack of political will.

This year’s World Hepatitis Day carries the message: “Hepatitis can’t wait.” And yet Europe continues to wait – for programs, for budgets, for intergovernmental coordination. Dubai does not wait. Dubai acts.

Time for a Straightforward Debate

What if Germany made screening programs mandatory? What if medical licensing were tied to public health responsibility? What if prevention were seen as a core pillar of medicine – and not just a recommendation?

These are uncomfortable questions. But they lead to one clear truth: hepatitis is treatable. Ignorance is not.