FNC passes draft law on veterinary licences

The Federal National Council yesterday passed a draft veterinary medical law.

The new legislation introduced changes to the Federal Law No. 10 of 2002.

According to the new law, no person is allowed to practise the profession unless he/she is so licensed by and registered with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.

Practising without licence shall attract a prison term of at least one year and a fine of between Dh10,000 and Dh200,000.

The law stipulates that an applicant for the licence shall be a holder of a bachelor of science degree in veterinary medicine from an accredited university and must have practised the profession for at least five years in the event that the licence is required for pursuing the profession in therapeutics, surgery and lab diagnosis. As for a national applicant, he must have practised the profession for at least two years.

Applications for licences to practise the veterinarian’s profession shall be submitted to the ministry together with documents the purports of which to be determined by a decision from the minister.

A panel to be called “the technical committee of veterinary licences” shall be formed by a ministerial decision to look into the applications. A register shall also be introduced in the ministry to enter veterinarians licensed to practise the profession.