All day surgery centres in Dubai have been handed an 18-month deadline to get international accreditation.
Facilities that fail to do so face the risk of getting downgraded.
Until now accreditation was mandatory only for hospitals, but the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is introducing tighter checks after two recent high-profile claims of negligence.
One of the cases involved a woman who slipped into a coma following a routine cosmetic procedure, while in the other case, a woman died during a hip replacement surgery at a private hospital.
The DHA has reassured patients and medical tourists that Dubai remains a safe place for medical treatment.

UAE condemns Israeli settler attacks in occupied West Bank
UAE discusses regional developments with Qatar, Oman
Dubai Police launch doorstep service for lost-and-found items
UAE expresses solidarity with France over wildfires
