How many CPD hours do TCAM practitioners need in the UAE?

TCAM practitioners licensed under DOH Abu Dhabi, DHA Dubai, SHA, or MOHAP must complete 10 CPD hours per year. Under DHCC (Dubai Healthcare City), CAM practitioners follow a biennial system: Doctors of CAM and Associate Doctors of CAM need 30 CPD points over 2 years; CAM Therapists need 20 CPD points over 2 years.

What is the DHCC CAM sub-tier system?

DHCC differentiates CAM CPD requirements by professional grade. Senior-grade practitioners — Doctors of CAM and Associate Doctors of CAM — must complete 30 CPD points every 2 years. Junior-grade practitioners — CAM Therapists — must complete 20 CPD points every 2 years. At least 50% of the respective total must be Category 1.

What happened to DHCC CAM licenses after October 2021?

In October 2021, DHCC transferred regulatory oversight of new CAM practitioner licensing to DHA (Dubai Health Authority). Existing DHCC CAM licenses continue to be renewed through the MASAAR portal using GL/HCP/007/03. If you previously held a DHCC CAM license and need to renew or you are a new CAM practitioner in Dubai, check whether your license is managed by DHCC (MASAAR) or DHA (Sheryan). CPD requirements under DHA follow the DOH/DHA/MOHAP framework (10 hrs/yr, TCAM category).

What is the Category 1 vs Category 2 split for TCAM?

Under DOH and MOHAP, at least 50% of your 10 annual TCAM hours (i.e., 5 hrs) must be Category 1 (formal/accredited activities: accredited CAM/TCAM conferences, certified courses in your modality). The remaining up to 50% can be Category 2 (non-formal: journal reading, self-study, peer review). DHA and SHA do not enforce a formal Cat 1/Cat 2 split. DHCC requires 50% Cat 1 over the biennial cycle.

What CPD activities are relevant for TCAM practitioners?

Category 1 activities include: accredited conferences in your TCAM modality (e.g., homeopathy, naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, acupuncture — with DOH accreditation number), certified TCAM/CAM courses, and postgraduate programmes in traditional medicine. Category 2 activities include: reading relevant journals and evidence-based resources, self-directed learning in your modality, authoring publications in TCAM fields (10 credits per publication), and health promotion activities.

Are BLS certifications mandatory for TCAM practitioners?

BLS (Basic Life Support) is listed as a mandatory competency prerequisite for TCAM licensure under DOH. BLS does NOT count toward your CPD hour total — it is a zero-credit mandatory prerequisite maintained separately from your CPD portfolio.

How do I submit CPD evidence as a TCAM practitioner?

Submission portals differ by authority: DOH TCAM practitioners submit through TAMM (tamm.abudhabi.ae); DHA through Sheryan (sheryan.dha.gov.ae); SHA through the SHA portal (sha.shj.ae); MOHAP through the MOHAP portal (mohap.gov.ae); existing DHCC CAM license holders submit through MASAAR (dhcc.ae). Provsure stores all your certificates centrally and can export authority-specific reports for any portal.

Do visiting or temporary license holders need CPD?

No. Visiting and temporary licenses in the UAE (typically 3–6 months) have a CPD target of zero. DHA visiting licenses are capped at 3 months, one-time per professional. PQR visiting licenses allow a single 3-month renewal (6 months maximum). You must still maintain mandatory credentials like BLS, but no CPD hours are required during the visiting period. (Source: v4.11 §6.9.)

I’m in a TCAM training programme — do I need to log CPD separately?

If you are enrolled in an active structured TCAM training programme recognised by your licensing authority, your programme enrolment may fulfil your CPD requirement for the duration of the programme. Keep your programme director’s letter confirming active enrolment, programme name, and dates as your compliance evidence. Check with your specific authority (DOH, DHA, SHA, or MOHAP) whether your training programme qualifies, as not all TCAM training programmes carry automatic CPD fulfilment.

UAE CPD Requirements for TCAM / TCIM / CAM Practitioners 2026 — All Authorities

Q: What is the difference between TCAM, TCIM, and CAM?

TCAM, TCIM, and CAM refer to the same professional category — Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine — but different UAE authorities use different terminology. DOH, DHA, and MOHAP use ‘TCAM’ (Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine). SHA uses ‘TCIM’ (Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine). DHCC uses ‘CAM’ (Complementary and Alternative Medicine). The CPD framework applies equally across all three designations.

TCAM vs TCIM vs CAM — What's the Difference?

The three acronyms refer to the same professional category — Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine — but different UAE authorities use different official terminology. Provsure maps all three to a single professional group.

Terminology varies: DHA uses 'TCAM', DHCC uses 'CAM', PQR/SHA use 'TCIM' — all refer to the same category

Authority	Official Term	Full Name
DOH	TCAM	Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine
DHA	TCAM	Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine
SHA	TCIM	Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine
MOHAP	TCAM	Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine
DHCC	CAM	Complementary and Alternative Medicine

CPD Requirements by Authority

All five UAE licensing authorities require TCAM/CAM practitioners to complete CPD annually (or per cycle). DHCC uses a biennial system with two sub-tiers based on professional grade.

Authority	Hours / Cycle	Cat 1 / Cat 2	Term Used	DHCC Sub-tier	Cycle
DOH	10 hrs / yr	50% Cat 1 min	TCAM	—	Annual
DHA	10 hrs / yr	No formal split	TCAM	—	Annual
SHA	10 hrs / yr	No formal split	TCIM	—	Annual
MOHAP	10 hrs / yr	50% Cat 1 min	TCAM	—	Annual
DHCC	30 pts / 2yr (Doctor / Associate Doctor)	No formal split	CAM	20 pts / 2yr (CAM Therapist)	Biennial (2yr)

Source: UAE authority CPD standards (2024–2025). SHA requirements are based on PQR baseline — no SHA-specific CPD circular has been published to date.

Category 1 and Category 2 by Authority

DOH and MOHAP enforce a strict 50%/50% formal/non-formal balance for TCAM practitioners. DHA and SHA do not enforce a formal split. DHCC requires 50% Cat 1 over the biennial cycle.

DOH & MOHAP — 50/50 Split Required

✓ Min 5 hrs Category 1 (formal/accredited)
✓ Max 5 hrs Category 2 (non-formal)
! BLS — mandatory but 0 CPD hours

DHA & SHA — No Formal Split

✓ All 10 hrs can be online (DHA §18.5)
✓ No carry-over to next year (DHA §18.8)
— SHA: no published Cat 1/2 guidance

DHCC CAM Sub-tiers

DHCC differentiates CAM CPD requirements by professional grade. Refer to DHCC Guideline GL/HCP/007/03 (via the MASAAR portal) to confirm which sub-tier applies to your license classification.

DHCC Senior Grade (CAM)

30 CPD points / 2yr

• Doctor of CAM
• Associate Doctor of CAM

Min 15 pts Category 1

DHCC Junior Grade (CAM)

20 CPD points / 2yr

• CAM Therapist

Min 10 pts Category 1

DHCC to DHA Regulatory Transfer (Oct 2021)

Important for Dubai CAM Practitioners

In October 2021, DHCC transferred regulatory oversight of new CAM practitioner licensing to DHA (Dubai Health Authority). This means:

•Existing DHCC CAM licensescontinue to be renewed through the MASAAR portal under GL/HCP/007/03 with DHCC's biennial sub-tier requirements.
•New CAM practitioners in Dubai(post-Oct 2021) are licensed through DHA and follow DHA's annual TCAM framework (10 hrs/yr, no Cat 1/2 split).

If you are unsure which authority manages your license, check whether your renewal portal is MASAAR (DHCC) or Sheryan (DHA).

Tracking Provsure compliance automatically

Tracking CPD requirements across authorities, categories, and deadlines is time-consuming. Provsure automates it — upload certificates and we handle the categorisation, gap analysis, and renewal alerts.

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How to Submit CPD Hours

DOH

TAMM platform (tamm.abudhabi.ae) → Healthcare Professional Services → TCAM

DHA

Sheryan portal (sheryan.dha.gov.ae) → CPD section → TCAM

SHA

SHA portal (sha.shj.ae) — listed as TCIM

MOHAP

MOHAP portal (mohap.gov.ae) → License renewal section → TCAM

DHCC

MASAAR portal (dhcc.ae) → CPD & Licensing → CAM (select sub-tier: Doctor or Therapist)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

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Counting BLS hours toward CPD — BLS is a mandatory prerequisite with 0 CPD credit value under DOH.
✕
Submitting more than 50% Category 2 (non-formal) under DOH or MOHAP — the hard cap is 5 hrs maximum.
✕
Assuming CPD hours carry over to the next year — they don’t under any UAE authority.
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Applying DHCC sub-tier requirements without confirming your grade — Doctor/Associate Doctor = 30/2yr; CAM Therapist = 20/2yr.
✕
Assuming your DHCC CAM license renewed via DHA after Oct 2021 — verify with your portal whether MASAAR or Sheryan manages your renewal.
✕
Using the wrong terminology on your CPD portfolio — ensure submission to SHA uses TCIM and to DHCC uses CAM.

Calculate Your CPD Gap

Select your licensing authority to see exactly what you still need as a TCAM Practitioner.

Your licensing authority

Total CPD hours completed

Category 1 hours — optional

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Frequently Asked Questions

See also — CPD requirements by authority

Category 1 vs Category 2 CPD — What’s the Difference?

UAE CPD Requirements for TCAM Practitioners (2026)