Over the next two years, approximately $1.2 billion is expected to flow into GCC’s digital infrastructure, marking a significant increase in investment in AI, according to a report revealed at the recent GCC Medicine Trade Show and Summit. precision.
While we were already on the path to greater adoption of technology in healthcare, the pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of healthcare and social services by up to five years, experts say. The increase in investments in digital infrastructure reflects this change. A key part of these investments aims to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to streamline labor and management processes, reduce medical facility costs, and improve patient care and experience.
“Starting in 2022, we are seeing the implementation of more AI-powered tools that are dramatically helping clinics increase revenue and reduce healthcare provider burnout. health. There is a strong demand from the industry to implement internal optimization tools as well as smart workforce management solutions.
“Five years ago, only 15% of medical clinic clients asked us to implement such tools. Now our workforce planning and management tool is our winning formula,” said Melda Akin, Founder and CEO of D14.ai.
The company has built Dhealth, an operating system for health clinics that helps manage various aspects of practice, interact with patients, and improvise physician, room, and asset scheduling.
“The system uses machine learning to react to patient behavior with personalized patient journeys. Patients can access and control their records, as well as book appointments online in real time. We are proud to improve people’s health using AI,” Akin added.
The company’s workforce management platform was launched in 2019 and the clinic management platform in 2022. “We serve large international clients to small clinics. Over 150 healthcare providers use our system, serving over 90,000 patients.
Most major healthcare providers in the UAE are connected to patients through their apps.
Prime Healthcare Group, for example, launched its mobile app in 2009. “We were one of the first healthcare organizations to launch a mobile app. In 2017, we added more features allowing patients to access their reports, receive medication reminders, view medication history and visits, and more. The app has been downloaded over 100,000 times on the Play Store and over 50,000 on the App Store,” said Jaleel Rahiman, CIO and Prime Digital, Prime Healthcare Group.
More than 13% of appointments are booked through this app and patients use it to access lab and radiology reports, he added. Individual healthcare provider apps work well but also restrict a patient’s choices. Rashed Abdulrahman, an Emirati tech enthusiast, saw this as an opportunity and launched an app in 2022 that allows patients to browse a growing list of medical providers in the emirates on a single platform.
“MEDICAPP acts as a bridge between healthcare providers and users in the UAE, providing patients with greater choice with minimal effort,” Abdulrahman said.
Jaleel Rahiman, IT and Prime Digital Director, Prime Healthcare Group.
A feature of the app allows users to rate the health service provider’s service and hospitality. This could eventually become a good barometer for residents, visitors and medical tourists in the UAE, who do not know which hospital or clinic to visit when needed. MEDICAPP is part of the burgeoning community of digital health startups in the UAE that is harnessing new era technology to deliver better patient care. The use of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), wearable technologies, 3D printing and drones are transforming the healthcare experience like never before and helping to boost the ranking of United Arab Emirates in the Medical Tourism Index.
Considering that global medical tourism is worth US$35-55 billion, with 12-14 million travelers making medical trips each year for treatments such as cosmetic surgery, reproductive, dental and orthopedic health, among others, UAE are poised to grab a bigger slice of that pie in the years to come. Medical tourism in the UAE could touch 19 billion dirhams by 2023.
Medical tourism sales in the UAE are expected to reach MAD 8.4 billion in 2021, growing at 17.1% CAGR between 2021 and 2025, according to the Investing in Healthcare in the UAE report. of the Ministry of Economy.
According to the International Center for Health Care Research, in a survey of 46 countries, the UAE ranked sixth in the Global Medical Tourism Index (2020-2021) and fifth in quality health facilities and services. These figures reinforce our belief that greater use of technology in healthcare bodes well for the overall health of our society in the UAE.
