Does Thiqa cover weight-loss injections?
Yes, for eligible adults in Abu Dhabi's Thiqa obesity programme. Since 11 June 2025, Thiqa covers obesity medicines such as Wegovy (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) from a BMI of 30 with a listed condition, or 40 without one, as long as you keep more than 5% weight loss and meet an activity target.
- GLP‑1 medicines are prescription-only in the UAE, and Abu Dhabi's Department of Health tells the public not to buy them without a prescription, online or through adverts.1,2
- Cover depends on your doctor's assessment and on meeting the programme's targets. Meeting the BMI rule doesn't mean a medicine will be prescribed.
Who qualifies?
Thiqa members aged 18 or over can qualify with a BMI of 30 to 34.9 plus a listed condition, 35 to 39.9 plus one from a longer list, or 40 or more.3
Listed conditions at BMI 30 to 34.9 include heart disease, high blood pressure, severe high cholesterol, fatty liver disease, severe sleep apnoea and PCOS with infertility. From BMI 35, vascular disease and a severely reduced quality of life also count.3 The prescriber must be a family or internal medicine doctor with a DoH-approved obesity certification, or a specialist trained and certified in obesity management.3 Thiqa is the Abu Dhabi government's health programme for eligible UAE nationals.3 Abu Dhabi's official drug list marks Wegovy pens and Mounjaro KwikPens as on the Thiqa formulary.5
What are the 5% and 10,000-step rules?
To stay covered, you must keep more than 5% weight loss compared with your starting weight and meet one activity target, such as 10,000 steps a day on average.3
The other targets are 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week, on average. Your doctor can adjust them for a medical reason, such as a fracture or a hospital stay.3 Activity is tracked through a wearable or fitness app linked to the DoH's Sahatna app, with the report in Malaffi, Abu Dhabi's shared health record.3
How does reimbursement work?
You start with a 1-month trial, then up to 3 months' supply at a time, and your doctor checks the results at 4 months.3
If you meet both targets, the medicine cost for those 4 months is reimbursed through the Thiqa app, and later supplies are billed directly. If you lost more than 5% but missed the activity target, the first 4 months aren't reimbursed, but 3 more months are covered. Miss again and you're treated as having opted out. Anyone who leaves the programme can re-enrol later, starting again from the beginning.3 Cover can continue even if your BMI falls to 24.9 or below.3 Separately, since April 2026 the DoH covers the Foundayo tablet for adults eligible for its Personalised Weight Management Programme.4 Other insurance options are in Is Ozempic covered by insurance in the UAE?
Read the full picture
Related questions
Sources
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 10/2025, 4 Feb 2025: alert against counterfeit Ozempic and Mounjaro sold through social media and a website; the medicines are prescription-only under UAE law; the public should buy them only with a prescription, from pharmacies, and not online or through adverts. Summarised, not reproduced. doh.gov.ae (PDF)
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 48/2026, 16 Mar 2026: alert against counterfeit weight-loss products; GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide are prescription-only medicines; the products in the alert are not registered with the Emirates Drug Establishment but are sold online and on social media; report adverse reactions to the DoH Pharmacovigilance program ([email protected]). Summarised, not reproduced. doh.gov.ae (PDF)
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Thiqa reimbursement policy for obesity medications, DoH/Policy/TRP-OMM/HPS/V1/2025, published and effective 11 Jun 2025 (adults 18+; BMI rules in 3.2.2; prescribers in 3.2.3; more than 5% weight loss plus an activity target in 3.2.4; 1-month trial, up to 3 months' supply, check at 4 months in 3.3–3.4; cover continues even if BMI reaches 24.9 or below, 3.5.1.1). doh.gov.ae (PDF)
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi expands access to innovative daily oral obesity treatment ("covered for adults eligible for the Personalised Weight Management Programme"; the UAE is "the second country globally after the United States to approve this treatment"). News release, 24 Apr 2026. doh.gov.ae
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Shafafiya drug list (Drugs.xlsx), released 26 Sep 2026, effective 2 Oct 2026: Wegovy FlexTouch pens and Mounjaro KwikPens marked “Yes” under “Included in Thiqa/ ABM - other than 1&7- Drug Formulary”. Downloaded and checked 12 Oct 2026. shafafiyaportal.doh.gov.ae (XLSX)
Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Apr 2027 · Report an error
How this answer was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above, all checked on 12 Oct 2026. Prices are official prices to the public from Abu Dhabi's drug list, never a discount, and we don't name, link or rank sellers. Figures marked as our arithmetic are worked out from those sources. It's general information, not medical advice, and religious questions are for a scholar you trust. Talk to a UAE-licensed doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write