The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) launched Bushra an all-in-one IT solution for reproductive medicine during Arab Health 2020.

His Excellency Humaid Al Qutami, Director General of the DHA launched the service, which provides clinicians, clinical scientists and other experts in fertility centers with perfect quality assurance and documentation of therapies.

By launching the service, patients and visitors to the center will be able to obtain data and information about their IVF treatment in a safe and confidential manner.

Bushra enables the collection of all data relevant to diagnostics and therapy such as findings, diagnoses, treatment process, treatment results and documented correspondence, so that they can be retrieved paperlessly from anywhere and anytime.

Commenting on the launch, His Excellency Humaid Al Qutami commended the role of the Dubai Fertility Center in giving hope to married couples who dream of having a family by providing quality services that treat all forms of infertility.

Al Qutami added that the Dubai Fertility Center has become locally and internationally renowned due to its experienced specialists and state-of-the-art equipment.

Hana Tahtawa, the Director of the Dubai Fertility Center explained that Bushra allows immediate access to all patient files to allow the organization of administrative tasks and processes intelligently.

“This includes a perfect cryo-management system including consistent documentation of information and sensitive data as well as a quick and uncomplicated execution of communication tasks such as medical reports, diagnostic reports etc... this will help expedite the registration of appointments and manage waiting lists more efficiently,” she concluded.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not just a buzzword anymore and is changing healthcare for the better. This is evident at Leader Healthcare’s presence at the show, as the company’s solutions are highlighting how AI has the potential to drive the healthcare industry’s shift towards providing improved clinical outcomes.

Sabu Thomas, Chief Operating Officer, Leader Healthcare tells Daily Dose: “The UAE’s vision has been towards driving Artificial Intelligence (AI), virtual reality, automation, robotics etc. We at Leader Healthcare have also decided to implement that and are focusing full-fledged into AI.”

He says that the company is working in the area of AI in terms of improving the interpretation of clinical data that could help the clinician as a strong decision-making tool For instance, he explains, if a person goes in for a CT scan or an X-ray or MRI, a radiologist or a pulmonologist would interpret things based on their knowledge. “Based on AI, there are algorithms that are fed into from millions of databases from all over the world and with this feedback, the software is able to look at each and every nodule, read the algorithm and accordingly enhance the diagnostic capabilities of existing modalities such as X-ray or CT scan.”

The most important thing, Thomas emphasizes, is that the algorithm can pinpoint if there is a cancerous cell in the lungs. He says, “Even if you are not looking at it, the algorithm will bring it out. This makes it a great prevention tool. Plus, it also becomes cost effective for healthcare providers to diagnose and come up with solutions.”

Furthermore, the algorithm is able to forecast and foresee if the patient has the chance of getting a heart attack or lung cancer, in 4 years or 10 years. “If it is a brain scan, it might be able to tell you that in 10 years, you will have a 98% chance of having dementia or cancer or breast cancer. The person is then able to take preventive measures before the symptoms start,” he adds.

Leader Healthcare also has a stem cell research and genomic lab that set up at their booth. Thomas says: “In the genomic lab, based on this diagnosis coming in from AI, you are able to play around with the genome and make sure that you don’t have the disease that is diagnosed.”

When asked about what the future looks like, he shares, “In my opinion, the future will be that doctors will deal with completely fine individuals and take care of their well-being. Well-being is all about avoiding diseases, so it will be a fantastic time for future generations! If I am going to look forward to 2023, you will see a completely different Leader Healthcare where we will continue to drive the vision of the UAE's leadership, and look at providing quality healthcare,” he concludes.

In the region, the future of healthcare is evolving with the introduction of intelligent technologies. With this, there has been a substantial shift towards prevention, personalisation and precision. The UAE, often seen as an incubator for innovation in the region, has witnessed an influx of technology within the healthcare sector which has contributed to the world-class care available to the population. With this in mind, a Public Private Partnership between the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DoH) and Injazat Data Systems, a subsidiary ultimately of Mubadala Investment Company, launched Malaffi, the region’s first Health Information Exchange (HIE) platform.

A HIE allows healthcare providers and practitioners to access patient health data through a centralised database. The appropriate and reliable sharing of patient health information facilitates better care coordination and informed decision-making at the point of care. Before Malaffi, patient health information was recorded in the provider’s Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system, and was not accessible to others outside of that system if needed. Malaffi will now safely and securely connect all public and private healthcare providers in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, enabling the meaningful, real-time exchange of important patient health information, ultimately creating a centralised database of unified patient records.

Malaffi is a key component of the digital transformation of the healthcare system in Abu Dhabi. In addition to the host of benefits that Malaffi directly offers patients and providers on an individual level, from increased efficiency to ultimately saving lives, Malaffi also contributes significantly to population health across Abu Dhabi as a whole. 

Understanding the needs of the population

Through data, Malaffi will support the DoH in performing population health analytics and monitoring care quality trends throughout the Emirate. For example, with 37 percent of adults reported as obese, and 15.7 percent of adults living with diabetes, the UAE is currently working towards reducing chronic diseases. In contributing to this data, Malaffi will provide real-time and accurate information to understand the health needs of people in the Emirate. This benefits the whole population as it will provide more information to the DoH when developing public health programmes, such as programmes aimed at health prevention and the management of chronic diseases.

Identifying public health risks

As providers update their EMR systems after patient consultations, each individual’s Malaffi file will update in real-time. Through the unified patient records, Malaffi will also be able to swiftly identify any public health risk, such as an outbreak. In turn this will assist the Emirate’s emergency preparedness in the event of such a situation arising.

Laying the foundations for advanced technologies 

As technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning continue to mature, stored patient information will provide the necessary data to move towards more preventative and predictive healthcare models. For example, patient healthcare information can be leveraged to build machine learning models that predict the likelihood of being readmitted or developing chronic conditions. It does so by using clinical data to assess clinical events that have actually happened to patients in the past to be able to develop predictions for patients in the future. This will provide greater insight into preventative medicine, allowing providers to have a different conversation about lifestyle and help with directing population health activities. The Malaffi analytics portal is being showcased at Arab Health on the DoH stand.

All of this is made possible by the collaboration of healthcare providers across Abu Dhabi. The more data that is available, the more accurate the programmes, initiatives and provisions will be in future. Malaffi has been well-received by the industry in Abu Dhabi.

Currently, the database contains more than 38 million patient records for more than 3 million patients, who are being treated and have their care managed through Malaffi. Every time a provider joins, Malaffi becomes even more effective in improving the speed, quality and safety of patient care.

With the UAE facing a growing ageing population and rising prevalence of chronic diseases, there comes no better time to utlise data to create programmes and initiatives that truly cater to the needs of the population and stimulate behaviour change.

During Arab Health, Malaffi also announced the soft launch of their patient application to help patients better manage their health. Once logged into the portal or by downloading the app, patients will have their own medical information at their fingertips. Patients can check their Malaffi file anytime and anywhere through the app, which also supports prevention and early detection of illnesses. Commenting on the announcement Atif Al Braiki, the Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Health Data Services, the operator of Malaffi, said: “For us, Malaffi is a platform that connects health providers in Abu Dhabi to support communities to better health.

As part of doing this, we are proud to be working closely with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi to be positively impacting the lives of people now and in years to come. The patient app is especially exciting, as it encourages patients to use the app for their benefit and so, collectively, we can encourage better engagement and empowerment of their own health.”

Currently, the Malaffi database contains more than 38 million patient records for more than 3 million patients, who are being treated and their care managed through Malaffi by over 15,000 doctors and care teams utilising the platform. To date, 1,732 facilities in Abu Dhabi have signed the Participant Agreement, and 406 facilities have been onboarded, with many more in the pipeline. Some of the onboarded providers include Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), Mediclinic Al Noor Hospital, Kanad Hospital, UEMedical Group, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Healthpoint.

Keeping healthcare facilities clean is extremely important. A dirty equipment or tool could be deadly if the germs hitch a ride to surgical site and cause an infection. Nancy Steenbakkers, Founder and CEO of UltraZonic, was a nurse for 20 years and used to assist in the operating theater and she was also responsible for the cleaning of surgical instruments.

She tells Daily Dose: “It is very hard to clean these instruments. I was observing a lot of hospitals and noticed the same issues and problems across the world, when it comes to patient safety and ensuring the medical instruments are cleaned properly. After that I became a distributor for washers, disinfectors and autoclaves, and saw that washer disinfectors have their limits.

“I told this to my husband, who is a chemical engineer and he invented two new patented devices. These are called the UltraZonic Endo and UltraZonic Med.”

UltraZonic is a three-year-old Belgium-based firm and their main focus is precleaning. “Instead of having many sinks in hospitals, with many staff, we have now invented two new cleaning concepts, instead of a number of sinks that were used for precleaning,” she explains. "Depending on the motivation and knowledge of the staff is depending on the cleaning efficacy. Patient safety is still in big risk!"

The first one is the precleaning machine that cleans the stainless-steel surgical instruments in three minutes. “This makes the lifecycle of the instrument much longer,” adds Steenbakkers.

The second concept the company has invented is precleaning for flexible endoscopes. “This is one of the most needed in the market, as we see many issues in this area,” she explains.

“In Europe, most of the hospitals are investing in washer disinfectors and drying cabinets but there are still a lot of issues regarding the cleaning of endoscopes. I had a really good contact with a repair company who were repairing endoscopes after they were damaged, and they showed me pictures with all kinds of dirt inside! That’s why we invented our device, which is an automated machine with traceability and software package in it. With it we know every single step that is being carried out. With the instruments, the user has to follow the steps. These cannot be skipped and will ensure that there is no dirt anymore. With this device, the patient safety level is climbing up.”

Steenbakkers says that their products have been getting a considerable amount of interest. “We have references in Belgium, The Netherlands and Sweden. I am attending Arab Health to understand the Middle East market. I have seen the hospitals in the region and device cleaning is also an issue here. Patient safety is given a lot of importance in the Middle East and our devices are at hand to make sure the instruments are really clean,” she concludes.

Mecomed, the medical devices, imaging and diagnostics trade association serving as the voice of international MedTech manufacturers across MEA, yesterday unveiled its position on value-based healthcare at Arab Health.

Speaking at a networking breakfast at Bubble Lounge, Executive Director Dr Inna Nadelwais outlined the findings and recommendations of a new paper that identifies a value-based healthcare model as a “paradigm shift” unlocking major benefits, with value for patients as the central goal.

Related: Saudi Arabia’s evolving healthcare system: What's new in 2020

The value approach, it was explained, addresses challenges that include high variations in patient outcomes and spiralling healthcare costs.  The latter can be seen in the case of ageing populations, particularly in countries with predominantly public healthcare systems. 

A value-based model, therefore, promises to deliver better and more consistent patient outcomes – at the right cost of delivering healthcare. It achieves this through more accurate and efficient care, reducing hospital stay and exploring innovative patient pathways.

Related: Voice of the Healthcare Industry Market Outlook

Mecomed recognises however that any transformation to this new model will be a complex task. Rather than a single step, an overarching strategy is required that determines how healthcare is organised, delivered and measured.

Medical Technology industry best positioned to make it happen

Taking this into account, the Medical Technology industry is particularly well-positioned to enable transformation through its emphasis on innovation, relationship with healthcare providers, therapeutic experience and wealth of data. More specific ways in which it can help include:

• Providing innovative products, services and solutions for health issues
• Supporting cost-containment by identifying patients in the early stages of chronic disease or at risk of disease onset
• Collaborating with payers and providers creating shared value for patients
• Developing digital capabilities and facilitating real-world data collection

KSA and UAE lead the way

Industry aside, Mecomed also believes that country leadership can play a critical role. Governments in MEA have significant opportunity to move faster than advanced economies in implementing value-based healthcare initiatives. This is for reasons that include not having to face legacy infrastructure and heavy investments in high-cost non-interoperable systems, while the GDP percentage of healthcare spending is also growing faster than in developed countries.

Examples shared of governments currently leading the way included Saudi Arabia and UAE, whose Vision 2030 and Vision 2021 respectively are fully aligned with value-based healthcare principles and capitalise on digital platforms for therapy registries, patients monitoring, outcomes measuring, wearables and activities trackers and online curricula.

Many important developments are on the horizon at Arab Health 2020. The UAE government has many different initiatives and projects in the pipeline as it endeavors to equip youth and young entrepreneurs with the latest knowledge and essential skillsets for the future labor markets.

However, the application of these initiatives is not limited to the healthcare sector. That’s why the UAE government has several projects going on that address the requirements of different sectors, such as education, space science, renewable and alternative energy, transportation and infrastructure, and the IT sector.

His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was quoted saying, “UAE has adopted innovation as an institutional approach and a culture of the society that aims at developing its human factor as well as government institutions, as part of its drive to build a sustainable future.”

Amid all this activity, Munfarid and Institute of Environmental Management and Sustainability (IEMS) Academy have come together with the objective to bring immersive operational and vocational training to the youth.

Led by the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the IEMS Academy provides blended training and development programs to help develop people’s knowledge and skills for future jobs, particularly in the areas of environment & sustainability, and digital and immersive learning.

Sheikh Sultan is a huge supporter of youth development initiatives and has many inspiring projects supporting progress in the areas of science, thought development and digital technologies. His Highness expressed his ardent support for the young generation at the ‘Spirit of Youth’ platform,

The government of His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has already taken big steps towards bringing more skill-based opportunities and entrepreneurship programs for the Emirati youth and women to prepare them for future challenges that have arisen in the wake of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

With immersive technologies at the back of every project the government has introduced during the last few years, Sheikh Mohammad strongly believes that this is the road to UAE’s innovation progress, “UAE has adopted innovation as an institutional approach and a culture of the society that aims at developing its human factor as well as government institutions, as part of its drive to build a sustainable future.”

The Government’s aim in all these initiatives is to develop a robust ecosystem for a sustainable economy in the UAE and boost the local talent influx for the business sector.

The Government’s aim in all these initiatives is to develop a robust ecosystem for a sustainable economy in the UAE and boost the local talent influx for the business sector. There are many projects that are currently in effect to that end, including:

• UAE Green Jobs Program

• National Program for Artificial Intelligence

• Training Programs for Government employees

• UAE Ai Camp

• UAE Ai Internship Program

• ICT Fund

• One Million Virtual Expeditions initiative

• And the UAE Hackathon, to name a few.

The combined initiative of Munfarid and IEMS is expected to propel things in the right direction in line with the governments’ core goals of Vision 2021  and Centennial 2071.

Dr. Sana Farid, the Co-Founder & CEO of Munfarid, has high hopes for this initiative and thinks it will help escalate the immersive learning opportunities for both young professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs.

We know that disruptive technologies are here to stay and they are going to define a new future. Just like the entire developed world, the UAE is also engaged in exploring the benefits of immersive learning in consolidating the concept for a green future, economic growth and developing the human resource to sustain the challenges of the future.

Surgeons from Evelina London, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, conducted a surgical simulation at Arab Health 2020 that drew a crowd of curious onlookers. It involved highlighting complex heart surgery, which hopes to give the best possible chance of survival to children diagnosed with heart problems, including congenital heart disease.

Rory Mannion, Commercial Business Development Manager, Evelina Children’s Hospital told Daily Dose: “We wanted to perform the surgical simulation with two consultants, a cardiologist and a cardiac surgeon and show the visitors more about how these two colleagues work together to deliver the best patient journey. We also wanted to talk about one of our core areas, which is advanced cardiac imaging. We have a very long history of pioneering new techniques in the UK and internationally. At the moment, we are the only centre in the world to offer motion corrected 3D morphological fetal MRI.”

He further explained that the reason to do the simulation with a cardiac surgeon and a cardiologist was that imaging techniques and antenatal imaging techniques such as 3D MRI allow the team to diagnose congenital heart defects before the child is delivered. This is really helpful in terms of planning surgery. “They allow us to use 3D printing and have 3D printed hearts, which we also had for the simulation,” he said. “This is to visualize and plan the best surgery possible. Visually it is so impressive. When someone can look at something in 3D it makes a massive difference.”

The simulation also addressed how risky and difficult these surgeries are and how the hospital achieves some of the very best outcomes in the world. Typically, worldwide, there can be a mortality rate of 15 to 20 per cent for some of the most complex procedures – but Evelina London's outcomes are significantly below this.

“The antenatal pathway is exceptional about the Evelina in London. We are a children’s hospital but also part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ and are co-located with women’s services. If a woman comes forward, we can assist them with conception, we can do the antenatal diagnostics including fetal diagnostics. If there is an issue identified in the womb, then we can work to deliver in St Thomas’ and transfer the newborn to the NICU at the same site,” said cardiologist Owen Miller.

At the simulation, the consultant’s highlighted two patient stories. One of the child’s name is Evelina dedicated to the hospital by her parents, for saving her life. Images were shown of her meeting the hospital's patron HRH Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. The other patient was Abdul Rahman from Kuwait.

“The mother came to us when she had a fetal diagnosis and was told to seek treatment. She delivered prematurely at St Thomas’. Abdul Rahman spent the first six months of his life at the Evelina. He is an amazing case because he had a hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which means that he was born without half a heart. He also had an incredibly complex lung condition. That meant doing the surgery and getting him fit for the surgery very difficult. He is really a miracle patient. Today, he is such a healthy, happy, laughing, curious lad,” the surgeons said.

Surgeon Caner Salih concluded: “We are proud to work with this world-leading solution that has been instrumental in saving young lives. Our unit diagnoses around 200 major heart abnormalities in babies before birth each year. As well as detecting problems with the way the heart has formed, we can detect abnormal heart rhythms and problems with the heart function, working together to give them the best possible chance of survival.”