Code of Professional Conduct

1 Purpose, values and scope(1)

1.1 Purpose

This document defines the professional conduct expected by the UAE Congenital Heart Association — Nabda in delivering its mission, serving beneficiaries and managing resources. It rests on honesty, justice, compassion, respect for dignity and responsibility for decisions. These values become practical duties for which each person is accountable within their role and authority. An anticipated benefit never justifies bypassing law or controls.

1.2 Persons covered

It binds employees under all work arrangements, Board and committee members, volunteers and consultants, each within their relationship with the Association. Appropriate obligations must be included in volunteer, consultancy and contractor agreements. It covers Association premises, remote work, events, visits, travel, digital communications and every activity undertaken in its name. It does not turn a volunteer or consultancy relationship into employment or grant anyone additional powers.

2 References and limits of application(2)

2.1 Order of authority

Current legislation and competent-authority requirements take precedence over the Articles, Association resolutions and internal policies. This document connects with human resources, disciplinary, procurement and financial regulations and policies on conflicts, child protection, data, reporting and AI. Its detailed conduct rules are institutional controls and are not attributed to legislation unless the footnote expressly says so. Internal conflicts must be referred to the compliance officer to determine the applicable rule and document the resolution.

2.2 Applicable legal framework

HR determines the framework applicable to an employee from their contract, appointment decision, the Articles and higher legislation. Public-benefit status or describing the Association as quasi-governmental does not confer government powers. Unresolved applicability must be recorded as “requires legal review” before any decision affecting rights. Signing an acknowledgement does not authorise suspension of a legal right, deduction of wages or a sanction outside the applicable framework.

3 Responsibilities and management example(3)

3.1 Management responsibility

The Board approves this document, oversees implementation and addresses matters involving Association leaders through a non-conflicted body. The Association Director provides necessary awareness, channels and authority. HR distributes the document, obtains acknowledgements, provides training and retains evidence of receipt. The compliance officer coordinates interpretation and referrals. Where no separate post exists, a named person must be assigned with documented powers, separating receipt, investigation and decision-making where fairness requires.

3.2 Individual and line-manager responsibility

Everyone covered must read the document, ask about anything unclear and follow lawful directions. Line managers explain expected conduct and address errors early; they must not order anyone to conceal misconduct, alter facts or exceed authority. Time pressure, targets or verbal instructions do not transfer responsibility to others. Suspected unlawful instructions must be raised for clarification; the risky part must be paused where necessary without disrupting other proper work.

4 Respect, fairness and the workplace(4)

4.1 Dignity and respect

Everyone must be addressed courteously, without insult, threat, ridicule or public humiliation. Harassment, bullying, violence, exploitation and unlawful discrimination are prohibited, including in messages, images, digital groups and meetings. Cultural and religious backgrounds and the needs of people of determination must be respected. Compliance is not measured by agreement with a manager's opinion; respectful professional disagreement and requests for review are permitted without retaliation.

4.2 Professional fairness

Recruitment, assignment, appraisal, training and service decisions must rest on published criteria and reviewable evidence, respecting lawful priorities. Personal influence or family ties must not override them. Decision-makers explain reasons to the permitted extent and provide the relevant grievance route. Health or family data or a previous complaint must not be used to mistreat employees or deny rights. Reasonable accommodations must be considered under the applicable framework.

5 Beneficiary service and safeguarding those at greater risk(5)

5.1 Dignified service

Patients and families must receive clear, accessible information on required documents, service limits and the decision-making authority. Employees must not promise assistance, treatment or priority before approval. Service must not depend on a donation, tip, personal relationship or agreement to photographs or publication of a story. Staff must not seek personal services, money or loans from beneficiaries or exploit need or emotional attachment for gain.

5.2 Child protection and professional boundaries

Staff must follow communication, visit, accompaniment and photography controls in the child and vulnerable-person protection policy. Secret or exploitative relationships or communications with beneficiaries and exchange of inappropriate material are prohibited. Immediate danger requires prioritising safety, contacting the competent authority and promptly notifying the safeguarding officer. Internal processes do not replace legally required reporting. Observations and statements must be recorded honestly, without repeated questioning, promises of absolute confidentiality or personal investigations.

6 Limits of medical and research roles(6)

6.1 Medical communication

Within its licence, the Association supports patients and facilitates access to qualified providers. Administrative staff must not diagnose, prescribe, alter doses or provide clinical interpretations beyond their qualifications and licence. Medical questions must be referred to the appropriate medical authority. Educational information requires suitable review and a statement of its limits. Advisory Council membership or a doctor's name must not imply endorsement of an opinion they have not reviewed.

6.2 Scientific integrity

Fabricating data or results, attributing scientific work to someone other than its author or concealing a material conflict is prohibited. Research data collection or use of beneficiary files outside their original purpose requires the necessary ethical and regulatory approvals and lawful processing basis. Researcher contributions and content references must be retained. Educational activities must not be presented as therapeutic trials or individual medical recommendations. An undocumented treatment standard must be marked “requires an approved medical reference” before publication or use.

7 Honesty in work and records(7)

7.1 Accurate recording

Working hours, expenses, visits, receipt, results and approvals must be recorded as they actually occurred. Signing for someone without valid authority or falsely recording their attendance or approval is prohibited. Documents, references, minutes or preparation dates must not be fabricated to evidence work that did not occur then; blank pre-signed forms must not be used. Every decision must be attributed to its actual maker, with approval evidence retained.

7.2 Correcting errors

Material errors must be reported promptly on discovery to the responsible officer and corrected traceably, documenting the reason, correct version and effect on affected parties. Evidence must not be deleted or records altered to conceal failure or improve performance indicators. Colleagues or suppliers must not be pressured to change an account of events. Reports must distinguish established fact, professional judgement and incomplete information; an unverified matter must not be presented as a conclusive finding.

8 Conflicts of interest, independence and recusal(8)

8.1 Early disclosure

Actual, potential or apparent interests that could affect impartiality must be disclosed, including ownership, outside work or family/financial ties to a beneficiary, supplier or recruitment candidate. Disclosure precedes access to the file or participation in decisions and must be updated when circumstances change. Disclosure is not permission to participate. The non-conflicted authorised decision-maker determines and documents the appropriate treatment under the conflicts policy.

8.2 Recusal and access control

A conflicted person must refrain from recommendations, evaluation, voting or indirect influence until a documented resolution is issued; access must be restricted where needed. Association information and opportunities must not be used for personal gain or that of a connected party. Arranging for a colleague to advance a decision in one's place or participating under another person's name is prohibited. A line manager's conflict goes to the next non-conflicted level; Board-member conflicts follow Board procedures.

9 Gifts, hospitality and anti-bribery(9)

9.1 Prohibitions

Soliciting, accepting or offering money, benefits, commissions or personal discounts in exchange for a service, decision, expedited process or overlooking misconduct is prohibited. This includes indirect benefits to relatives or through intermediaries. Tips from beneficiaries and cash or cash-equivalent gifts from interested parties must not be accepted. Association donations or sponsorships must not be used to buy influence or obtain personal gain.

9.2 Handling an offer

An impermissible offer must be politely refused, recorded and reported through the relevant route. If a gift cannot immediately be returned, it must be safeguarded and handed to the responsible officer for return or institutional disposal; it is not the employee's property. Hospitality and token gifts remain subject to the approved policy and prior approval where required. Where the rule is unclear, written guidance must be obtained before acceptance. This document creates no assumed monetary gift limit.

10 Funds, donations, procurement and entrusted assets(10)

10.1 Financial discipline

Staff must not collect donations, publish fundraising appeals or use personal accounts or unapproved payment links in the Association's name. Funds and entrusted assets must pass through approved channels and receipts and be allocated according to restrictions. Mixing personal and Association funds, splitting requests to evade approval levels or charging personal expenses to a project is prohibited. No person may approve payment, receipt or settlement for their own interest; segregation of duties must be maintained.

10.2 Suppliers and financial suspicion

Suppliers must be treated fairly and bids kept confidential. Competitor prices must not be disclosed, and specifications must not be tailored for an unjustified advantage. Receipt of undelivered services must not be approved, nor knowingly invalid documents used. Suspicions concerning a donation, transfer or supplier must promptly reach the compliance officer through the approved route. Evidence must be preserved without tipping off the subject or making unauthorised external contact. Employees must not report externally in the Association's name outside their authority.

11 Privacy, confidentiality and information security(11)

11.1 Limited use

Data access must be limited to job need and a specific lawful purpose. Curiosity browsing and sharing patient, payroll or account data through unapproved personal channels are prohibited. Recipient identity and authority must be verified before sending; data and attachments must be minimised. Consent to receive assistance is not consent to publication, research or marketing. Health data and categories excluded from general data-protection law must follow their applicable special legislation.

11.2 Protection and incidents

Approved individual accounts must be used, and passwords or verification codes never shared. Devices and paper files must be secured and sessions locked. Misdirected messages, lost devices or suspected breaches must be reported immediately to the responsible officer. Users must not delete messages or logs to conceal an incident or undertake unauthorised technical investigations. Confidentiality continues after the relationship ends, without preventing legally required disclosure or legitimate pursuit of rights before a competent body.

12 AI and digital technology(12)

12.1 Responsible use

Only Association-approved tools may be used, for the specified purposes and permissions. Identity, health or financial data and restricted documents must not be entered into public or unapproved services. Outputs, sources and figures require review before use; employees and authorised decision-makers remain responsible for verification and approval. A system must not be credited with checks it did not perform, and generated text is not, by itself, a legal or medical authority.

12.2 Boundaries and transparency

Creating signatures, recordings or images that falsely imply an event, statement or approval is prohibited. Tools must not be delegated final assistance decisions, employment sanctions, diagnosis or financial disbursement. Material use must be documented when policy or the recipient requires it, preserving intellectual-property rights and sources. A leak or harmful output requires stopping the risky use and escalation under incident management.

13 Media, communications and institutional representation(13)

13.1 Statements and content

Only authorised persons may speak for the Association, sign undertakings or announce partnerships. Content must be reviewed for accuracy, authority and privacy before publication. Patient images, stories or details may be published only under publication and safeguarding policies and the required lawful basis. Association results, treatment prospects or assistance volumes must not be exaggerated. Incorrect information must be corrected through the authorised channel, with the correction recorded.

13.2 Personal accounts and reputation

Personal opinions must be distinguished from institutional capacity. Logos, email or job titles must not imply nonexistent official endorsement. Restricted information, abuse or threats must not be shared through personal accounts on the pretext of being outside work. Protecting reputation must not prevent lawful reporting, grievances or cooperation with competent authorities. Media and regulatory enquiries must go to authorised persons; lawfully requested documents must not be deleted or withheld.

14 Outside work, safety and responsible resource use(14)

14.1 Time and property

Employees must meet working-time, communication and delivery obligations under their contracts and work arrangements and record attendance and tasks honestly. Association time, work devices or stakeholder databases must not be used for private projects without valid permission. Outside employment and business activities must meet permit, contract and conflict requirements; internal approval does not replace a legally required permit. Entrusted assets, files and permissions must be handed back on transfer or departure, with a handover record.

14.2 Safety and assignments

Health and safety instructions must be followed and hazards or incidents reported immediately. No one may be assigned work beyond their qualifications or exposing them or others to uncontrolled risk. Controls for visits, travel, driving, lone working and beneficiary communications must be observed. A person must not attend work under the influence of a substance that impairs safe performance. Support must be sought for a condition affecting safety, disclosing health information only to the responsible specialist and only as necessary.

15 Decision-making and seeking guidance(15)

15.1 Decision check

Before acting, a person must check legality, authority, fairness and effects on beneficiaries, data and resources. They must consider conflicts, missing approvals and unconfirmed information and whether they can explain and evidence the decision to a competent reviewer. When uncertain, maintain a safe position and seek written guidance before committing, publishing or paying. Seeking guidance must not delay urgent protection or a statutory deadline.

15.2 Documentation and alternative route

Requests for guidance go to the line manager or compliance officer with facts, the decision needed and the deadline, without unnecessary circulation of personal data. Concerns involving that officer go to the Association Director or a non-conflicted Board member. The guidance, issuer and date must be recorded in the relevant file. Verbal permission alone does not satisfy a requirement for written approval, and silence is not implied consent.

16 Reporting and protection against retaliation(16)

16.1 Channels and escalation

Reports go to Compliance or HR according to subject. They may go directly to the Director if the usual route is unavailable, or to the Chair or a non-conflicted Board member if management is involved. Management must publish and update approved names/contact details and record that employees were informed in the acknowledgement form. Unverified email addresses or numbers must not be listed. Statutory complaints and direct reporting permitted or required by law remain available.

16.2 Confidentiality and fairness

Retaliation for seeking guidance, good-faith reporting or testimony is prohibited, including threats, isolation or arbitrary appraisal. Information must be shared only on a need-to-know basis, without promises of absolute anonymity. An unsubstantiated report is not evidence of bad faith. A reporter may be sanctioned only for independently established misconduct following a fair process, such as deliberate fabrication. The subject's right to respond must be protected; allegations must not be circulated or tried in workplace groups.

17 Accountability, awareness and acknowledgement(17)

17.1 Proportionate accountability

Breaches must be examined under Disciplinary and Employment Grievance Regulations NABDA-DIS-001, identifying the applicable framework, hearing the defence, giving reasons and allowing a grievance. This document creates no automatic deduction or dismissal and grants HR no sanctioning authority beyond its remit. Board members, members, volunteers and contractors follow their respective statutory or contractual routes. Internal settlement does not replace a legally required referral.

17.2 Introduction and acknowledgement

Each employee receives an accessible copy on joining and after material changes; role-relevant duties must be explained before sensitive permissions are granted. Form NABDA-ETH-FRM-001 is signed after time for reading, questions and recording needed clarification, and the employee receives a copy. Refusal to sign and its reasons must be recorded without fabricating a signature or assuming acknowledgement; the case follows the lawful route. HR annually reviews acknowledgement and awareness coverage and reports gaps to management for closure.

18 Retention, review and effectiveness

18.1 Retaining evidence

Acknowledgement and awareness evidence must be held in the employee file with the document version and actual delivery date. Disclosures, reports and investigations belong in their restricted records, not as sensitive details in a general receipt register. Retention follows classification, legislation and the approved schedule. Destruction must be suspended for disputes, investigations or preservation orders. Employees must not sign acknowledgements dated before actual receipt.

18.2 Review and effectiveness

The document must be reviewed annually and when legislation changes or an incident reveals a control gap. The Board approves amendments under policy-management procedures. It takes effect from the approval date recorded in its metadata; amendments must be communicated to those covered and version history retained. New provisions must not retrospectively create a breach or increase a sanction. This document cannot override rights or obligations under higher provisions.

References in the approved document

1. Approved 2026 Articles, version dated 25 June 2026 in the legal library: HR framework, conflicts, confidentiality, governance duties and professional conduct document. Federal Decree-Law No. 50 of 2023 and its Executive Regulation, Cabinet Resolution No. 5 of 2025. Official sources: uaelegislation.gov.ae/ar/legislations/2181 and 2792.
2. Approved 2026 Articles, version dated 25 June 2026 in the legal library: HR framework, conflicts, confidentiality, governance duties and professional conduct document. Federal Decree-Law No. 50 of 2023 and its Executive Regulation, Cabinet Resolution No. 5 of 2025. Official sources: uaelegislation.gov.ae/ar/legislations/2181 and 2792.
3. Institutional controls linked to Association HR, financial and procurement regulations and compliance, reporting, media and document-management policies; they are not themselves statutory penalties or additional delegations.
4. Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 regulating labour relations, as amended, especially Article 16 on worker duties and provisions on equality and prohibition of harassment/bullying, within its scope. Source: uaelegislation.gov.ae/ar/legislations/1541. Accommodation and documentation arrangements in the body are institutional controls.
5. Federal Law No. 3 of 2016 on child rights (Wadeema) and its Executive Regulation, Cabinet Resolution No. 52 of 2018; Association policy on protecting children and those at greater risk. Source: uaelegislation.gov.ae/ar/legislations/1176. Internal processes must not delay mandatory reporting or urgent protection.
6. Association policies on assistance, research, the Medical Advisory Council, child protection and data, and competent-authority medical/research licensing and approvals appropriate to the activity. These delimit the institutional role; they do not grant healthcare or research licences.
7. Institutional controls linked to Association HR, financial and procurement regulations and compliance, reporting, media and document-management policies; they are not themselves statutory penalties or additional delegations.
8. Actual 2026 Articles: conflicts provisions; approved Conflicts of Interest, Disclosure and Recusal Policy NABDA-COI-001. Gift and recusal controls here are institutional and create no assumed statutory monetary ceiling.
9. Actual 2026 Articles: conflicts provisions; approved Conflicts of Interest, Disclosure and Recusal Policy NABDA-COI-001. Gift and recusal controls here are institutional and create no assumed statutory monetary ceiling.
10. Federal Law No. 3 of 2021 regulating donations and its Executive Regulation, Cabinet Resolution No. 96 of 2022, as held in the legal library; Association financial/procurement regulations and donation/compliance policies. Suspicion reporting follows approved statutory procedures and does not authorise employees to report externally in the Association's name.
11. Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on personal data protection, within its scope and exceptions; Association data-protection and information-security policies. Source: uaelegislation.gov.ae/ar/legislations/1972. Health data subject to special legislation must follow that legislation.
12. Approved AI and Digital Technology Policy NABDA-AIT-001 and data-protection, information-security and publication policies. This chapter contains institutional usage controls.
13. Institutional controls linked to Association HR, financial and procurement regulations and compliance, reporting, media and document-management policies; they are not themselves statutory penalties or additional delegations.
14. Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 regulating labour relations, as amended, especially Article 16 on worker duties and provisions on equality and prohibition of harassment/bullying, within its scope. Source: uaelegislation.gov.ae/ar/legislations/1541. Accommodation and documentation arrangements in the body are institutional controls.
15. Institutional controls linked to Association HR, financial and procurement regulations and compliance, reporting, media and document-management policies; they are not themselves statutory penalties or additional delegations.
16. Approved Disciplinary and Employment Grievance Regulations NABDA-DIS-001, HR Regulations and Whistleblowing Policy. Acknowledgement evidences receipt and commitment, not waiver of rights or authority for an automatic sanction.
17. Approved Disciplinary and Employment Grievance Regulations NABDA-DIS-001, HR Regulations and Whistleblowing Policy. Acknowledgement evidences receipt and commitment, not waiver of rights or authority for an automatic sanction.