Recent court rulings across the UAE show a noticeable rise in compensation awarded to victims of medical negligence – reflecting both strengthened patient protections and a judiciary increasingly willing to recognise the long‑term impact of medical errors. Across 2025 and early 2026, several high‑profile cases illustrate this shift:

• Dh1 million (c. USD 270k) awarded by the Dubai Appellate Court after a patient suffered permanent brain damage and fell into a coma following a surgical error at a private hospital in Dubai.

  The patient had undergone a cervical disc laser surgery with a cortisone injection and oxygen deprivation during the procedure led to irreversible brain damage, placing the patient in a permanent coma. 

  The initial claim exceeded Dh57 million (to cover medical expenses and the loss of their primary provider), and despite reductions on appeal, the final award underscored the seriousness of the harm and the liability of both the hospital and medical staff. 

• In another major case, the Dubai Court of Cassation upheld a Dh1 million award (c. USD 270k) for a patient left with 80% permanent loss of leg function after negligent joint‑replacement surgery.

  The initial claim was Dh20 million, however the Court of First Instance awarded Dh 1 million to the patient, and the Appellate Court of Court of Cassation upheld the original ruling. The court reinforced vicarious liability principles, holding the hospital responsible even when attempting to distance itself from the treating physician.

• The Abu Dhabi Civil Appellate Court recently increased a medical negligence compensation award from Dh1 million to Dh1.4 million (c. USD 380k), recognising the severe financial and emotional loss suffered by the family of a deceased primary breadwinner. 

  The Medical Liability Committee found that the hospital failed to staff its intensive care unit with appropriately qualified specialists (placing a general practitioner in charge of overseeing critical patients) and that the medical practitioner failed to recognise the patient’s declining condition, which led to his death. 

  The ruling confirmed both hospital and physician responsibility and placed heavy weight on the family’s long‑term dependency (the court recognised that the children were still in education with no independent income and that under law and tradition, the father’s support is essential until adulthood or marriage). 

While claim values are often inflated and smaller awards do still occur in cases with limited proven damages, the overall trajectory shows that UAE courts are increasingly:

• Accounting for long‑term disability and lost earning capacity
• Recognising emotional and psychological harm
• Holding institutions accountable through vicarious liability
• Relying heavily on findings of Medical Liability Committees in quantifying damages

Taken together, these trends indicate a gradual shift toward compensation practices more closely aligned with international standards, particularly those seen in common‑law jurisdictions such as England where courts place greater emphasis on functional impairment, future earnings, and non‑pecuniary losses when assessing damages. 

For practitioners, healthcare providers/hospitals and insurers, understanding this upward trend is essential to assessing litigation risk and ensuring compliance with evolving expectations around patient safety. Please do not hesitate to reach out to find out more about the training we deliver to help you (or your insureds) mitigate against these risks.