Emirati Board — Gastroenterology
DHA Specialist Gastroenterology pass mark: 65%.
Gastroenterology is an NIHS fellowship, not a residency, so there is no Part 1. Fellows sit the Final Written and the Comprehensive Clinical Examination.
Route Overview
There are two routes to specialist practice in the UAE.
The specialty licensing route is an examination through your emirate's health authority — see Getting Licensed to Practise.
The Emirati Board route runs through NIHS: Part 1, the Final Written, and the Comprehensive Clinical Examination.
Emirati Board examinations are booked through exams.nihs.ae, not through Prometric.
The Comprehensive Clinical Examination
NIHS assesses six domains: data gathering and history taking; physical examination and practical skills; data interpretation; clinical reasoning and analytical skills; decision-making and management; and communication and professionalism. Domain percentages are not published. Station counts and timings are published for General Surgery and Gastroenterology only.
The 2026 examination window runs October to December, with some specialties spanning two days.
Fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| NIHS annual training fee | AED 1,000 excluding tax |
| NIHS certification exam service fee | AED 3,000 |
| DHA specialty professional assessment | USD 280 |
| SHA professional assessment — physicians | AED 500 |
| MOHAP and DOH assessment fees | Not published |
| DataFlow verification | Not published |
Specialty Licensing Examination — DHA
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam name (official) | Specialist Gastroenterology — DHA Professional Assessment |
| Exam code | GES5171 |
| Vendor | Prometric |
| Questions | 150 |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Pass mark | 65% |
| Fee | USD 280 |
DHA lists the examination domains without weightings: Gastroenterology Nutrition Motility Disorders; Gastrointestinal Malignancies; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Small and Large Intestine; Gastrointestinal Bleeding; Oesophageal and Gastric Diseases; Liver and Liver Related Conditions and Diseases; Miscellaneous; Pancreaticobiliary Diseases; Patient Safety; Professionalism and Ethics. MOHAP, DOH Abu Dhabi and Sharjah publish no Gastroenterology specification.
Content Blueprint — Final Written
Official blueprint — published by NIHS. One paper of 80–120 Single Best Answer MCQs, plus up to 10% unscored pretest items. The pass mark is not published as a number.
| Domain | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Liver Related Diseases | 28% |
| Colon Related Diseases | 15% |
| Stomach and Duodenum Diseases | 15% |
| Pancreaticobiliary Diseases | 14% |
| Small Bowel Diseases | 14% |
| Oesophageal Diseases | 14% |
Comprehensive Clinical Examination
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Stations | 8–12 |
| Station timing | 10–12 minutes each, with 3 minutes between stations |
| Examiners | 2 per station |
| Pass rule | At or above the Minimum Performance Level in at least 70% of stations |
Hepatology and Transplant Hepatology
The Unified PQR lists Hepatology and Gastroenterology & Hepatology as subspecialties of Gastroenterology, and Transplant Hepatology as a subspecialty of Internal Medicine. No separate written licensing examination or NIHS programme is published for any of them.
What we offer
A Gastroenterology question bank built to the NIHS Final Written blueprint, where liver disease is the largest domain at 28%, which also serves the DHA specialty licensing examination.