The verdict in three sentences
Redesigning the website of a private hospital group with 3 facilities in Dubai costs 60,000 to 180,000 USD with a local agency in 2026, and 40,000 to 90,000 EUR with a nearshore team. The project takes 4 to 6 months, followed by application maintenance of roughly 1,600 to 4,000 USD per month. The two things that sink these redesigns are a poorly structured doctor directory and DHA advertising and data rules handled after development instead of in the RFP.
The standard RFP for a hospital group
An IT director launching a redesign should scope six functional blocks before inviting agencies:
- Bilingual EN / AR (often plus RU or FR) with full RTL support for Arabic menus, forms and price tables, not machine translation.
- Directory of 120 doctors filterable by specialty, facility, language spoken, DHA licence and accepted insurers (Daman, AXA, Bupa and others).
- Online booking connected to the hospital information system or a shared calendar, with SMS or WhatsApp confirmation and a D-1 reminder.
- Service and centre of excellence pages: maternity, cardiology, oncology, 24/7 emergency, imaging.
- Light patient area: secure download of reports, online pre-admission.
- Compliance: DHA rules for healthcare advertising, UAE data protection law, health data handling under Federal Law No. 2 of 2019, access logging.
| RFP block | Dubai agency 2026 (USD) | Nearshore 2026 (EUR) | Indicative duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoping, UX and bilingual architecture | 8,000 to 20,000 | 5,000 to 9,000 | 3 to 5 weeks |
| Design system and RTL mock-ups | 10,000 to 28,000 | 6,000 to 12,000 | 4 to 6 weeks |
| 120-doctor directory with filters | 8,000 to 22,000 | 5,000 to 11,000 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Booking and messaging | 12,000 to 45,000 | 8,000 to 20,000 | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Patient area and pre-admission | 10,000 to 35,000 | 7,000 to 16,000 | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Compliance, security, testing | 7,000 to 18,000 | 5,000 to 12,000 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Content, translation and SEO | 5,000 to 12,000 | 4,000 to 10,000 | in parallel |
| Total project | 60,000 to 180,000 | 40,000 to 90,000 | 4 to 6 months |
DHA, data protection and security: what to budget
Health data is sensitive data. In practice, a booking form that collects the reason for a visit must comply with health data rules, and any claim on the site (success rates, 'best', before-and-after content) must respect DHA healthcare advertising guidelines, which can require prior approval.
| Requirement | Practical implementation | Budget impact |
|---|---|---|
| DHA advertising rules | Review of claims, doctor titles and promotional content | 3,000 to 8,000 USD (advisory) |
| Consent | Unticked boxes, bilingual cookie banner | Included in development |
| Hosting | UAE region cloud with contractual guarantees | 400 to 1,100 USD/month |
| Encryption | TLS 1.3, encryption at rest for attachments | Included |
| Logging | Audit trail for patient area access | 1,500 to 3,500 USD |
| Penetration test | External audit before go-live | 7,000 to 16,000 USD |
A tip from experienced IT directors: schedule the penetration test from the start, two to three weeks before launch, so there is time to fix findings.
Local, international or nearshore agency
In Dubai, established agencies charge 1,300 to 2,200 USD per day on this type of project. A French and English-speaking nearshore team like Kolonell, in Dakar, works at around 800 to 1,200 USD per day, with solid RTL experience and familiarity with healthcare constraints. The deciding criterion is the ability to integrate your hospital system: ask for a real integration reference with HL7, FHIR or a proprietary API.
Mini case study
Layla, IT director of a 3-hospital group in Dubai, handles 4,800 appointments per month, 85% by phone. Each call takes a receptionist about 4 minutes, so 272 call-centre hours per month.
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She selects a nearshore redesign at 68,000 EUR plus 2,400 EUR per month of maintenance, so 96,800 EUR in year one, compared with a 140,000 USD local quote. If 40% of appointments move online, the call centre saves about 109 hours per month, close to 0.7 of a full-time role at 3,500 USD all-in, around 29,000 USD per year. The bigger gain comes from the directory: 6% more new patients with an average spend of 350 USD per visit and tests adds roughly 100,000 USD of annual revenue (2026 order of magnitude).
FAQ
What budget should a Dubai hospital group plan for a website redesign?
Between 60,000 and 180,000 USD with a local agency for 3 facilities, or 40,000 to 90,000 EUR nearshore. Maintenance then adds roughly 1,600 to 4,000 USD per month.
Does the Arabic version double the cost?
No, if it is planned in the design system from the start: RTL usually adds 15 to 25% to design and front-end work. Retrofitting it later is what gets expensive.
Do website claims need DHA approval?
Healthcare advertising content can require DHA approval, especially claims about results or promotions. Allow 2 to 6 weeks and keep claims factual.
How long does the project take?
From 4 to 6 months: one month of scoping, two to three months of design and build, and one month of testing, penetration testing and loading the 120 doctor profiles.
Can the site connect to the hospital information system?
Yes, if the vendor provides an API or an HL7 or FHIR feed. Budget 8,000 to 20,000 EUR nearshore for integrated booking, depending on API quality.
Let's scope your project. Share your current sitemap, number of doctors and hospital system, and we will price a bilingual redesign between 40,000 and 90,000 EUR with a 4 to 6 month plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
