Healthtech heralds a future of data-driven healthcare delivery

Technology’s real value lies in its positive impact on society and delivering true human benefit. This was seen during Covid-19 when technology was applied in the entire pandemic management chain, from helping to accelerate R&D into vaccines to managing mass vaccination campaigns to contact tracing and more.

It is evident now that a robust and tech-driven response will have positive implications that will last beyond the current health crisis. GITEX Global, held from October 17-21, 2021, will serve as the ideal platform to explore the future of digital medicine. Healthcare is one of the 11 tracks to be highlighted at this year’s event, with leading figures in the global healthcare technology space among the speakers in the healthcare track, including Ayesha Al Hosani from Mubadala, Dr Shameer Khader from Astra Zeneca, Konrad Dobschuetz from Novartis among others.

GITEX Global will also highlight other technologies that will impact the healthcare sector in years to come, such as AI, cybersecurity, 5G, cloud, IoT and more.

The digital advantage

Digital technology will cause a significant shift in healthcare systems worldwide in the next decade, improving care while also driving down medical costs. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates the costs saved could lie anywhere between $1.5 trillion and $3 trillion a year by 2030, thanks to a range of interventions such as remote monitoring, artificial intelligence, and automation.

The healthcare infrastructure in the region is impressive, providing the government and healthcare providers with a solid foundation to build a tech-driven healthcare system. Dubai Healthcare City is a world-renowned destination for quality healthcare and a key driver for Dubai’s medical tourism push. Meanwhile, the King Fahd Medical City is one of five healthcare-related mega projects already operational and under development in the Kingdom. These projects lie at the intersection of medicine, innovation, training and research and will revolutionise healthcare delivery in the region.

Information exchange

The rolling out of integrated digital platforms such as UAE’s Riayatti, which enables the exchange of medical information within health facilities, will serve as one of the foundations of healthcare’s future. The UAE has also launched the region’s most advanced healthcare initiative yet, the Emirates Genome programme. The programme uses the latest sequencing and AI technologies to generate high-quality genome data that will enrich current medical data and enable large-scale scientific discovery. The Emirates Genome programme will accelerate the development of services and solutions that address the specific health needs of Emiratis.

Private sector players such as Aster DM Healthcare leverage data from its expansive hospital and clinic network to deliver better health outcomes. Aster’s Centre of Digital Health Excellence (Aster CDHE), launched last year, uses data analytics to better manage workflows, patient flow, personnel flow and dynamically adapt capacity to demand in proactive ways. “Aster’s innovation centre aims to achieve key milestones such as the introduction of innovative solutions for home healthcare with a focus on digital primary care; establishing an ecosystem of digital health partners from startups to academia, and starting digital health, informatics and medicine as a stream for future healthcare workers,” said Dr Azad Moopen, founder, chairman and managing director, Aster DM Healthcare said.

The healthcare industry is on the cusp of a significant revolution, a process accelerated by Covid-19. With massive amounts of data generated by hospitals, the use of AI and big data analytics provides a real impetus to enable a data-driven healthcare outcome. Experience the latest in HealthTech and more at GITEX Global from October 17-21, 2021 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.