What is ADHICS v2.0? The Abu Dhabi Healthcare Cybersecurity Standard
Abu Dhabi Healthcare Information & Cyber Security Standard v2.0 (2024)
ADHICS is a mandatory cybersecurity standard issued by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH). It applies to all healthcare entities in Abu Dhabi that store, process, or handle health information. The latest ADHICS v2.0 (published May 2024, effective August 2024) supersedes the 2019 standard and consolidates DoH's 2020 IoMT Security and Patient Healthcare Data Privacy standards, with cloud security among its baseline policies. DoH links ADHICS compliance to licence registration and renewal; check with DoH for current enforcement measures.
Incident Reporting to DoH
Incident management and reporting to DoH as ADHICS V2 requires, with full incident playbooks
AAMEN Programme
DoH's Healthcare Information Security Programme for ADHICS compliance across Abu Dhabi healthcare facilities
AI & Emerging Tech Governance
Security governance for AI-powered diagnostics and health tools, as good practice alongside ADHICS
ADHICS v2.0 is mandatory for every healthcare entity in Abu Dhabi — hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, insurers, labs, and health tech providers. ITSEC delivers end-to-end ADHICS compliance UAE: gap assessment to AAMEN readiness to DoH audit readiness. 100% pass rate across 40+ engagements.
ADHICS v2.0 Core Requirement Areas
Key areas ITSEC helps Abu Dhabi healthcare entities address under ADHICS v2.0. Check the standard for its official control domains.
Tailored Solutions for Every Abu Dhabi Healthcare Entity
5-Step ADHICS Compliance UAE Process
Week 1
Gap Assessment & Scoping
Deliverables:
ADHICS v2.0 gap analysis ●
Entity type assessment ●
AAMEN readiness review ●
Entity type assessment ●
AAMEN readiness review ●
Weeks 2-3
Risk Assessment & Controls Review
Deliverables:
● PHI protection assessment
● IoMT inventory & scanning
● Network segmentation review
● IoMT inventory & scanning
● Network segmentation review
Weeks 3-6
Remediation & Implementation
Key Deliverables:
Security controls deployment ●
Policy & procedure development ●
Staff awareness training ●
Policy & procedure development ●
Staff awareness training ●
Week 7
AAMEN Readiness & DoH Audit
Key Deliverables:
● Compliance evidence submission
● Evidence package preparation
● DoH audit support
● Evidence package preparation
● DoH audit support
Ongoing
Compliance & Ongoing Monitoring
Key Deliverables:
Compliance status reporting ●
Continuous compliance monitoring ●
Annual reassessment ●
Continuous compliance monitoring ●
Annual reassessment ●
Transparent Compliance Pricing
Choose the package that fits your compliance needs
Essential ADHICS
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Perfect for clinics, pharmacies, and labs
✔ ADHICS v2.0 Gap Assessment
✔ PHI Security Review
✔ Basic Vulnerability Scanning
✔ AAMEN Readiness Support
✔ Incident Response Plan Template
✔ Email Support
✔ PHI Security Review
✔ Basic Vulnerability Scanning
✔ AAMEN Readiness Support
✔ Incident Response Plan Template
✔ Email Support
Complete ADHICS Compliance
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Comprehensive coverage for hospitals and telehealth
Everything in Essential, plus:
✔ Full Penetration Testing
✔ IoMT Security Assessment
✔ Monthly Security Reviews
✔ 24/7 Incident Response Hotline
✔ DoH Audit Preparation
✔ Dedicated Compliance Manager
✔ Full Penetration Testing
✔ IoMT Security Assessment
✔ Monthly Security Reviews
✔ 24/7 Incident Response Hotline
✔ DoH Audit Preparation
✔ Dedicated Compliance Manager
Enterprise Health Shield
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White-glove service for hospital networks and health systems
Everything in Complete, plus:
✔ Multi-Facility Coordination
✔ (SEHA)Medical Device Security Audits
✔ AI Governance Framework
✔ Weekly Status Meetings
✔ Priority DoH Liaison
✔ Continuous Threat Monitoring
✔ SLA-Backed Response Times
✔ Multi-Facility Coordination
✔ (SEHA)Medical Device Security Audits
✔ AI Governance Framework
✔ Weekly Status Meetings
✔ Priority DoH Liaison
✔ Continuous Threat Monitoring
✔ SLA-Backed Response Times
Need a Custom Solution?
Trusted by Abu Dhabi Healthcare Leaders
ITSEC's deep understanding of ADHICS v2.0 was instrumental in achieving our compliance certification. Their AAMEN platform expertise saved us weeks of preparation time.
M
Dr. Mariam Al-Mazrouei
Chief Information Security Officer
Abu Dhabi Hospital Network
Abu Dhabi Hospital Network
Our telehealth platform passed the DoH audit with zero findings thanks to ITSEC's comprehensive ADHICS assessment. Their IoMT security expertise was particularly valuable.
M
Omar Al-Hashimi
CTO
Abu Dhabi Digital Health
Abu Dhabi Digital Health
ITSEC helped us navigate the transition from ADHICS v1.0 to v2.0 seamlessly. Their AI governance framework was exactly what we needed for our diagnostic AI systems.
M
Dr. Aisha Al-Kaabi
Director of Health Informatics
SEHA Affiliated Hospital
SEHA Affiliated Hospital
Case Study: Abu Dhabi Hospital Chain
How a multi-facility healthcare network achieved full ADHICS v2.0 compliance in 8 weeks
The Challenge
A major Abu Dhabi hospital network with 5 facilities needed to transition from ADHICS v1.0 to v2.0 compliance before the DoH deadline. Key challenges included IoMT security across 500+ connected medical devices, AI diagnostic system governance, and AAMEN programme compliance for all locations.
8 Weeks
Compliance Achievement
0 Findings
Inspection Findings
5 Facilities
Weeks to Compliance
ITSEC Solution
☑ Comprehensive IoMT inventory and segmentation across all 5 facilities
☑ Incident response procedures with DoH notification protocols
☑ Staff training program covering all ADHICS v2.0 domains
☑ Incident response procedures with DoH notification protocols
☑ Staff training program covering all ADHICS v2.0 domains
☑ AI governance framework for 3 diagnostic AI systems
Framework
☑ AAMEN programme compliance with audit-ready evidence packages
☑ Continuous monitoring dashboard for ongoing compliance
Framework
☑ AAMEN programme compliance with audit-ready evidence packages
☑ Continuous monitoring dashboard for ongoing compliance
Frequently Asked Questions
ADHICS v2.0 Compliance Explained
What is ADHICS and who must comply?
ADHICS (Abu Dhabi Healthcare Information & Cyber Security Standard) is a mandatory cybersecurity standard issued by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH). It applies to any entity in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, including healthcare facilities, payers (health insurers), and healthcare technology and service providers, that generates, accesses, stores, uses, processes or transmits health information.
What's new in ADHICS v2.0 compared to v1.0?
ADHICS v2.0 (published May 2024, effective August 2024) supersedes the 2019 standard and consolidates DoH's IoMT Security Standard and Standard on Patient Healthcare Data Privacy (both V0.9, 2020). Its baseline policies cover areas including cloud security, third-party security, healthcare data privacy, incident management and continuity, and it calls for periodic vulnerability assessments and penetration tests. Check the standard for exact control requirements.
What is the AAMEN programme?
AAMEN is the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi's Healthcare Information Security Programme, which aims to ensure that all healthcare facilities in the emirate comply with DoH's information security and data privacy standards. Under ADHICS V2, entities must comply within six months of AAMEN on-boarding or the standard's release, whichever comes first. ITSEC provides full AAMEN readiness support.
What happens if we don't comply with ADHICS?
DoH links ADHICS compliance to licence registration and renewal, and ADHICS V2 requires entities to run an annual audit programme to validate and verify compliance. Check with DoH for current enforcement measures and sanctions.
How long does ADHICS compliance take?
For organizations new to ADHICS, expect 6-10 weeks for full compliance. Organizations transitioning from v1.0 to v2.0 typically require 4-8 weeks depending on existing maturity and the gap in new requirements. Multi-facility networks (like SEHA hospitals) may require 8-12 weeks for coordinated compliance across all locations.
Is ADHICS the same as DHA compliance?
No. ADHICS is issued by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) and applies to Abu Dhabi healthcare entities. DHA (Dubai Health Authority) has separate compliance requirements for Dubai-based healthcare providers. Different regulator, different emirate, different requirements. ITSEC provides compliance services for both.
Do medical device manufacturers need ADHICS compliance?
It depends on what the manufacturer does. ADHICS v2.0 applies to any entity in Abu Dhabi, including healthcare technology and service providers, that generates, accesses, stores, uses, processes or transmits health information. The standard also covers medical devices within its asset management, physical security and access control controls, and it supersedes DoH's IoMT Security Standard V0.9 (2020).
How does breach notification work under ADHICS?
ADHICS V2 includes an incident management domain and policy covering how security incidents are reported to DoH. Check the current standard for exact reporting timelines and forms. Meeting them requires pre-established incident response playbooks, designated notification contacts, evidence preservation procedures, and communication protocols. ITSEC helps develop and test these through tabletop exercises.