How do I get more patients for my diagnostic lab or radiology centre?

Know the DHA rules first

Labs and imaging centres have stricter marketing rules than clinics. Read these with your compliance lead before you spend on ads.

• Direct promotion. The DHA Standards for Clinical Laboratory Services (Version 2, effective July 2023) say labs should not promote tests to attract patients to visit directly without a DHA-licensed treating physician's consultation or referral (clause 9.1.7). It sits in the outsourcing section but is worded broadly.
• Walk-in tests. Labs may accept walk-in patients only for tests in Appendix 3, such as general biochemistry, general haematology, general coagulation and general microbiology. Anatomic pathology, therapeutic drug monitoring, drug abuse monitoring and genetics need a prescription.
• Genetic tests. They must be requested by a DHA-licensed physician after a consultation, and results go to that physician, not straight to the patient.
• No product advice. Labs must not recommend drugs, products, foods or lifestyles based on results. Skip "test and get your supplement plan" offers.
• Ad approval. The standard requires prior MOHAP approval for media and advertisement materials (clause 8.1.17). See MOHAP's healthcare advertisement licence.
• Imaging. The DHA Standards for Diagnostic Imaging Services (Version 1.1, effective November 2025) say imaging is done only where there is a clinical need, on a licensed physician's request justified by the radiologist, or under referral guidelines (clause 13.4). Market "MRI with your doctor's request", not "MRI on demand".

Outside Dubai, check DoH or MOHAP rules for your licence. When in doubt, ask the regulator before launching.

The 8-step plan

1. Win referrers. List every clinic, GP, physio, dentist and specialist within 15 minutes. Visit them with a one-page sheet: tests and scans offered, turnaround times, insurers accepted, how to send a request and how results come back. Never offer referral payments; the lab standard bans commissions to referring physicians.
2. Be faster than the next lab. Referrers and patients choose speed. Publish realistic turnaround times per test group and per scan, and same-day appointment slots if you have them.
3. Make your Business Profile complete. Correct category (medical laboratory, radiology centre), opening hours including Fridays and late slots, parking, insurers, and photos of the scanners. "Near me" and "open now" searches depend on it. See Google's local ranking tips.
4. Search ads on high-intent terms. Ad groups for "MRI [area]", "CT scan [area]", "ultrasound near me", "X-ray [area]", "blood test lab [area]" and "[insurer] accepted lab". Use location targeting set to Presence and a tight radius. Add negatives: jobs, technician, course, salary, machine, price list download.
5. Answer price and insurance questions on the page. Cash prices for common scans and panels if you can, plus a clear list of insurers and what to bring (Emirates ID, request form, insurance card).
6. Make booking take 30 seconds. Online slots, WhatsApp with a photo of the request form, and callbacks within minutes. Track all of it with WhatsApp lead tracking and call tracking.
7. Run corporate and visa-adjacent services if licensed. Pre-employment panels and company health checks bring volume. Keep them separate from the government visa medical fitness test, which only approved centres can do.
8. Measure booked tests, not clicks. Import completed appointments into Google Ads. See conversion tracking.

A privacy note: sexual health testing is close to Google's sensitive Health category, which lists treatments for sexually transmitted diseases as an example (health in personalised advertising). Do not plan remarketing or Customer Match for those services.

What it costs

There is no public UAE benchmark for labs or imaging. LocaliQ's 2026 benchmarks (mostly US) put physicians and surgeons at a $4.76 average click (about AED 17) and the all-industry average at $5.42. Lab tests are lower-value than scans, so most labs spend on scan keywords and rely on referrers and their Business Profile for blood tests. Check your limits with what is a good cost per lead for a clinic and how much to spend on Google Ads.

Want this done for you?

Access One is the UAE's first Healthcare Google Partner and Dubai's #1 Google Ads agency for healthcare. We run lab and imaging campaigns that respect DHA rules and are tracked to booked scans and tests. Get a free Google Ads audit.

Frequently asked questions

Can a Dubai lab advertise blood tests directly to patients?

Only within the DHA lab standard. Walk-in testing is limited to the permitted list, and the standard discourages promoting tests to draw patients in without a physician's referral. Check with DHA before running test-led ads.

Can patients book an MRI without a doctor's referral?

The DHA imaging standard requires a clinical need and a justified request from a licensed physician or under referral guidelines. Make that clear in your ads and booking flow.

Do I need approval for lab ads?

The DHA lab standard requires prior MOHAP approval for media and advertisement materials. Get it before you publish.

How do I get more doctor referrals?

Fast turnaround, easy request forms, results sent straight back to the referrer, and a named contact person. Never pay commissions.

Sources

• DHA: Standards for Clinical Laboratory Services, Version 2
• DHA: Standards for Diagnostic Imaging Services, Version 1.1
• MOHAP: Healthcare advertisement licence for licensed institutions
• Google Ads: Health in personalised advertising
• Google Ads: Location targeting options
• Google Business Profile: Improve local ranking
• LocaliQ: Search advertising benchmarks 2026

Published 18 Oct 2026 · Access One