You are here

  • Home
  • Empowering healthcare transformation with AI and strategic innovation
Eye On AI
Eye On AI

Empowering healthcare transformation with AI and strategic innovation

Author
Amir Joshan
Follow
Author
Amir Joshan

Empowering healthcare transformation with AI and strategic innovation

Author
Amir Joshan
Short Url

https://arab.news/gsd62

The healthcare landscape in the Middle East is transforming, driven by ambitious government initiatives such as futuristic visions for personalized healthcare, the urge for high standards of care delivery and significant investments in digital innovation.

At the heart of this transformation is the application of artificial intelligence, revolutionizing healthcare delivery and patient outcomes, privatization, and administrative efficiency.

Recent shifts in public policy across the Middle East have significantly fueled the rapid growth of the health tech sector, underlining a deep-rooted commitment to personalizing and preventive care.

Visionary undertakings, such as Saudi Arabia’s NEOM and the Dubai Health Authority’s Genome Program, have marked the region’s ambitious move toward embracing AI in healthcare.

Supported by predictive analytics and big data, these initiatives are steering healthcare towards models that are increasingly predictive, preventive and personalized, ushering in a new era of patient-centric care.

Complementing these efforts, strategic policy frameworks such as the UAE’s National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 are pivotal in propelling the region towards becoming a leader in AI integration.

These strategies aim to bolster the use of AI in enhancing predictive healthcare and personalized medicine, showcasing government support for innovation. It also sets a clear direction for the integration of advanced technologies in healthcare infrastructure, development and implementation.

Together, these policy shifts and visionary projects are essential enablers, setting the stage for a transformative leap in healthcare delivery across the region.

The integration of AI technologies, including predictive healthcare analytics and personalized medicine, is revolutionizing patient care standards across the Middle East.

For example, AppliedAI’s innovations (a company with its regional HQ in Abu Dhabi), such as DeepDoc and Nash, are at the forefront of enhancing administrative efficiency while significantly refining patient diagnostics and treatment processes.

DeepDoc, an Intelligent Document Processor, organizes and summarizes medical documents, enhancing the focus on patient care and professional development. Nash optimises medical coding and revenue, adapting claims to reduce document deficiencies and engage physicians for necessary information.

These AI-powered tools not only address major operational challenges but also improve billing processes, minimize revenue loss, and enhance the overall efficiency of healthcare administration.

The integration of AI technologies, including predictive healthcare analytics and personalized medicine, is revolutionizing patient care standards across the Middle East.

Amir Joshan

By harnessing the power of AI for in-depth data analysis, healthcare professionals can devise customized treatment plans, mitigate the risk of adverse reactions, and markedly improve chronic condition prognoses.

This shift toward AI-driven healthcare is further exemplified by initiatives like the Qatar Genome Program, which highlights the crucial role of genomics and AI in sculpting the future of precision medicine.

Such initiatives underscore the potential to dramatically lower healthcare costs through timely interventions and focused treatment strategies. This is particularly critical in areas where specialized services are scarce. The evolution signifies a leap in healthcare delivery, improving patient outcomes and service quality.

AI and innovation have improved patient outcomes in the Middle East. Predictive analytics help identify high-risk patients, reducing hospital readmission rates. AI has also improved diagnostic accuracy and facilitated more effective treatment plans. AI-powered apps and telehealth services have enhanced patient engagement and chronic disease management.

These technological and strategic advancements collectively usher in new patient care standards, showcasing the profound impact of healthcare’s digital transformation.

Lexica’s strategic healthcare planning and advisory services are essential for realizing ambitious healthcare transformation projects complementing technological advancements.

Its collaboration with Hamad Medical Corp. on the Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City project in Qatar highlights how strategic planning coupled with digital innovation can create a sustainable and efficient healthcare system geared for the future.

Lexica’s efforts in developing the Design Standards Framework for HMC underline the importance of evidence-based design and operational efficiency in healthcare infrastructure, ensuring that new developments align with the highest patient care standards and sustainability.

The synergy between AI-driven technological solutions and strategic healthcare planning is crucial to navigating the digital healthcare revolution in the Middle East. This collaborative approach enhances operational efficiency and significantly boosts patient outcomes, providing a roadmap for other regions aiming to leverage technology in healthcare.

As the Middle East continues to push the boundaries of healthcare innovation, the focused integration of AI and strategic planning is setting new benchmarks for patient care and system efficiency in emerging markets.

The ongoing digital transformation in Middle Eastern healthcare, backed by supportive public policies and strategic initiatives, is a testament to the region’s commitment to pioneering a future where healthcare is more accessible, personalized and efficient.

By embracing AI and strategic innovation, the Middle East is not just improving healthcare outcomes for its population but also showcasing a model for the world on harnessing technology to meet the challenges of modern healthcare.

• Amir Joshan, region director for Middle East business development, Lexica.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point of view

Blasts in northwest Pakistan leave 2 dead, 13 wounded including policemen

Blasts in northwest Pakistan leave 2 dead, 13 wounded including policemen
Updated 9 sec ago
Follow

Blasts in northwest Pakistan leave 2 dead, 13 wounded including policemen

Blasts in northwest Pakistan leave 2 dead, 13 wounded including policemen
  • First attack targeted a funeral in Azam Warsak, the other was directed against a police van in Bannu
  • Such incidents have surged in recent years, contributing to an atmosphere of heightened insecurity
Updated 9 sec ago
REHMAT MEHSUD

PESHAWAR: Two people were killed and at least 13 others, including several police personnel, were injured in two separate bomb blasts in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Tuesday, police said.
KP, which shares a long and porous border with Afghanistan, has experienced a surge in militant violence in recent years. The region has been targeted by deadly suicide bombings and attacks on both civilians and security forces, contributing to an atmosphere of heightened insecurity.
Police spokesperson in the province, Habib Islam, told Arab News the first explosion occurred in Azam Warsak, a town on the outskirts of Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan district, as people dispersed from a funeral ceremony.
“The blast left two persons dead and eight others wounded. The explosion was triggered by a remote-controlled device, but it can’t be immediately confirmed who was the target of the attack,” he added.
Soon after the incident, a heavy police contingent rushed to the crime scene to evacuate the dead and wounded to the nearest medical facility.
Dr. Hammad Mehmood, a senior medical practitioner at the DHQ Hospital Wana, said the staff received a total of nine wounded, with two critically injured individuals referred to Dera Ismail Khan for treatment.
The second blast occurred in Bannu district, where a police mobile van was targeted with an improvised explosive device (IED), leaving five policemen injured, a senior police officer, Zahir Nawaz, told Arab News.
“Five policemen were injured in a blast triggered by a device planted in the Mamaskhel area of Bannu district,” he added.
Over 82 policemen have been killed in attacks, ambushes, and targeted killings in KP this year, according to official data.
Such attacks have been on the rise in northwestern Pakistan in recent months, with most being claimed by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants.
TTP fighters have targeted security forces’ convoys and check posts and carried out targeted killings, as well as kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials.
Earlier this month, two policemen were killed and three injured in an attack on a check post in the province’s Shangla district.
Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting the TTP and other militant groups, urging the administration to prevent its territory from being used by armed factions to launch cross-border attacks.
The Afghan Taliban deny the charge, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter.
 

Topics: KP militancy Bannu Pakistan police

Related

Pakistani security forces suffer deadliest year in decade while fighting insurgency— think tank
Pakistan
Pakistani security forces suffer deadliest year in decade while fighting insurgency— think tank

Pakistan forecasts thunderstorms, heavy snowfall in northwest from January 1 to 6

Pakistan forecasts thunderstorms, heavy snowfall in northwest from January 1 to 6
Updated 5 min 38 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan forecasts thunderstorms, heavy snowfall in northwest from January 1 to 6

Pakistan forecasts thunderstorms, heavy snowfall in northwest from January 1 to 6
  • KP’s top PDMA official has asked district administrations to take necessary precautionary measures
  • Pakistan has seen erratic weather patterns recently, with scientists attributing them to climate change
Updated 5 min 38 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Weather authorities in Pakistan on Tuesday predicted thunderstorms and heavy snowfall in the upper districts of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province from January 1 to 6.

Pakistan has experienced erratic changes in its weather patterns in recent years, which scientists attribute to climate change. This year, the country recorded its “wettest April since 1961,” with 59.3 millimeters of rainfall, while some areas endured deadly heat waves in May and June.

KP’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) forecast rain and snowfall in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Malakand, Buner, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Waziristan, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Bannu, Karak and Kohat.

“The forecast indicates that the rain and snowfall will continue from January 1 to 6,” the PDMA said in a statement, adding there was a likelihood of heavy snowfall on mountains from January 1 to 5.

The PDMA has notified all district administrations to undertake precautionary measures and ensure the availability of large and small machines to handle any emergencies.

The public has been advised to avoid power lines, decaying buildings, construction sites and billboards, while farmers have been urged to plan their activities accordingly.

DG PDMA Asfandyar Khattak directed the authorities to remain vigilant in case of any untoward incidents and advised tourists to contact relevant officials before traveling.

“Local administrations in sensitive districts should communicate weather-related messages in local languages to the community,” he added. “In case of any emergency, all relevant agencies should remain alert to restore road links and provide alternative routes for traffic in the event of road closures.”

Meanwhile, PDMA Balochistan said cloudy weather was expected in most districts, with light rain and snowfall likely in Chaman, Kalat, Zhob, Qilla Abdullah, Qilla Saifullah, Pishin, Ziarat and Quetta in the southwestern province.

In 2022, unusually heavy rains triggered floods in many parts of the country, killing over 1,700 people, inflicting economic losses of around $30 billion and affecting at least 30 million people.

Topics: Pakistan snowfall

The world begins welcoming 2025 with light shows, embraces and ice plunges

The world begins welcoming 2025 with light shows, embraces and ice plunges
Updated 01 January 2025
AP
Follow

The world begins welcoming 2025 with light shows, embraces and ice plunges

The world begins welcoming 2025 with light shows, embraces and ice plunges
  • More than a million people gathered at the Sydney Harbor for the celebration
  • Much of Japan has shut down ahead of the nation’s biggest holiday
Updated 01 January 2025
AP

WELLINGTON, New Zealand: From Sydney to Mumbai to Nairobi, communities around the world began welcoming 2025 with spectacular light shows, embraces and ice plunges.
Auckland became the first major city to celebrate, as thousands thronged downtown or climbed the city’s ring of volcanic peaks for a fireworks vantage point. A light display recognized Indigenous people.
Countries in the South Pacific Ocean were the first to ring in the New Year, with midnight in New Zealand striking 18 hours before the ball drop in Times Square in New York.
Conflict muted acknowledgements of the start of 2025 in places like the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine.
Earliest fireworks
Fireworks blasted off the Sydney Harbor Bridge and across the bay. More than a million Australians and others gathered at iconic Sydney Harbor for the celebration. British pop star Robbie Williams led a singalong with the crowd.
The celebration also featured Indigenous ceremonies and performances that acknowledged the land’s first people.
Asia prepares for Year of the Snake
Much of Japan shut down ahead of the nation’s biggest holiday, as temples and homes underwent a thorough cleaning.
The upcoming Year of the Snake in the Asian zodiac is heralded as one of rebirth — alluding to the reptile’s shedding skin. Other places in Asia will mark the Year of the Snake later, with the Lunar New Year.
In South Korea, celebrations were cut back or canceled during a period of national mourning following Sunday’s crash of a Jeju Air flight in Muan that killed 179 people.
In Thailand’s Bangkok, shopping malls competed for crowds with live musical acts and fireworks shows. A fireworks display in Indonesia’s Jakarta featured 800 drones.
China and Russia exchange goodwill
Chinese state media covered an exchange of New Year’s greetings between leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a reminder of growing closeness between two leaders who face tensions with the West.
Xi told Putin their countries will “always move forward hand in hand,” the official Xinhua News Agency said.
China has maintained ties and robust trade with Russia since the latter invaded Ukraine in 2022, helping to offset Western sanctions and attempts to isolate Putin.
Seaside celebrations and beyond
In India, thousands of revelers in the financial hub of Mumbai flocked to the city’s bustling promenade facing the Arabian Sea. In Sri Lanka, people gathered at Buddhist temples to light oil lamps and incense sticks and pray.
In Dubai, thousands attended a fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper. And in Nairobi, Kenya, scattered fireworks were heard as midnight approached.
A Holy Year begins
Rome’s traditional New Year’s Eve festivities have an additional draw: the start of Pope Francis’ Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century celebration projected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City in 2025.
On Tuesday, Francis will celebrate a vespers at St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by Mass on Wednesday, when he is expected to again appeal for peace in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Jan. 1 is a day of obligation for Catholics, marking the Solemnity of Mary.
Paris recaptures the Olympic spirit
Paris capped a momentous 2024 with its traditional countdown and fireworks extravaganza on the Champs-Elysées. The city’s emblematic Arc de Triomphe monument was turned into a giant tableau for a light show that celebrated the city’s landmarks and the passage of time, with whirring clocks.
“Paris is a party,” proclaimed Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
The Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games hosted in the French capital from July to September had transformed the city into a site of joy, fraternity and astonishing sporting achievements.
Frank and Rowena Klar from San Francisco visited the French capital to celebrate 31 years together. “If you start it big, we think we’re going to have a great year,” he said.
Wintry weather, for good and bad
London rang in the New Year with a pyrotechnic display along the River Thames. With a storm bringing bitter weather to other parts of the United Kingdom, however, festivities in Edinburgh, Scotland, were canceled.
But in Switzerland and some other places, people embraced the cold, stripping and plunging into the water in freezing temperatures.
Rio expects 2 million revelers
Rio de Janeiro will throw Brazil’s main New Year’s Eve bash on Copacabana Beach, with ferries offshore bearing 12 straight minutes of fireworks. Thousands of tourists in cruise ships will witness the show up close.
More than 2 million people were expected at the Copacabana, hoping to squeeze into concerts by superstar Brazilian artists such as pop singer Anitta and Grammy-award winner Caetano Veloso.
American traditions, old and new
In New York City, the organization managing Times Square has tested its famous ball drop and inspected 2025 numerals, lights and thousands of crystals as part of a tradition going back to 1907. This year’s celebration will include musical performances by TLC, Jonas Brothers, Rita Ora and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Las Vegas’ pyrotechnic show will be on the Strip, with 340,000 people anticipated as fireworks are launched from the rooftops of casinos. Nearby, the Sphere venue will display for the first time countdowns to midnight in different time zones.
In Pasadena, California, Rose Parade spectators were camping out and hoping for prime spots. And some 200,000 people were flocking to a country music party in Nashville, Tennessee.
American Samoa will be among the last to welcome 2025, a full 24 hours after New Zealand.

Topics: New year 2025

Related

Pakistan-origin Sadiq Khan receives knighthood in King’s New Year honors
Pakistan
Pakistan-origin Sadiq Khan receives knighthood in King’s New Year honors
Bad weather set to hit UK New Year celebrations
World
Bad weather set to hit UK New Year celebrations

US imposes sanctions on Russian and Iranian groups over disinformation targeting American voters

US imposes sanctions on Russian and Iranian groups over disinformation targeting American voters
Updated 01 January 2025
AP
Follow

US imposes sanctions on Russian and Iranian groups over disinformation targeting American voters

US imposes sanctions on Russian and Iranian groups over disinformation targeting American voters
  • Authorities say the center used AI to quickly manufacture fake videos about American candidates created scores of fake news websites designed to look legitimate and even paid US web companies to create pro-Russian content
  • Russian and Iranian officials have rejected claims that they sought to influence the outcome of the 2024 election
Updated 01 January 2025
AP

WASHINGTON: The United States has imposed sanctions on two groups linked to Iranian and Russian efforts to target American voters with disinformation ahead of this year’s election.
Treasury officials announced the sanctions Tuesday, alleging that the two organizations sought to stoke divisions among Americans before November’s vote. US intelligence has accused both governments of spreading disinformation, including fake videos, news stories and social media posts, designed to manipulate voters and undermine trust in US elections.
“The governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns,” Bradley T. Smith, Treasury’s acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.
Authorities said the Russian group, the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise, oversaw the creation, financing and dissemination of disinformation about American candidates, including deepfake videos created using artificial intelligence.
In addition to the group itself, the new sanctions apply to its director, who authorities say worked closely with Russian military intelligence agents also overseeing cyberattacks and sabotage against the West.
Authorities say the center used AI to quickly manufacture fake videos about American candidates created scores of fake news websites designed to look legitimate and even paid US web companies to create pro-Russian content.
The Iranian group, the Cognitive Design Production Center, is a subsidiary of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, US officials said, which the United States has designated a foreign terrorist organization. Officials say the center worked since at least 2023 to incite political tensions in the United States.
US intelligence agencies have blamed the Iranian government for seeking to encourage protests in the US over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Iran also has been accused of hacking into the accounts of several top current and former US officials, including senior members of Donald Trump’s campaign.
In the months ahead of the election, US intelligence officials said Russia, Iran and China all sought to undermine confidence in US democracy. They also concluded that Russia sought to prop up the ultimate victor Trump, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggested cutting funds to Ukraine and repeatedly criticized the NATO military alliance.
Iran, meanwhile, sought to oppose Trump’s candidacy, officials said. The president-elect’s first administration ended a nuclear deal with Iran, reimposed sanctions and ordered the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, an act prompting Iran’s leaders to vow revenge.
Russian and Iranian officials have rejected claims that they sought to influence the outcome of the 2024 election.
“Russia has not and does not interfere with the internal affairs of other countries,” a spokesperson for Russia’s embassy in Washington wrote in an email Tuesday.
A message left with officials from Iran was not immediately returned Tuesday.

 

Topics: American voters Iran Russia US Treasury

Related

US Treasury says was targeted by China state-sponsored cyberattack
World
US Treasury says was targeted by China state-sponsored cyberattack
Cyber attack on Italy’s Foreign Ministry, airports claimed by pro-Russian hacker group
World
Cyber attack on Italy’s Foreign Ministry, airports claimed by pro-Russian hacker group

Israel says intercepted two projectiles fired from central Gaza

Israel says intercepted two projectiles fired from central Gaza
Updated 01 January 2025
AFP
Follow

Israel says intercepted two projectiles fired from central Gaza

Israel says intercepted two projectiles fired from central Gaza
  • The military said it has intercepted several rockets fired from northern Gaza in recent days
Updated 01 January 2025
AFP

JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said two projectiles were fired from Gaza on Wednesday in the first minutes of the new year, one of which was intercepted while the other landed in an open area.
Alert sirens sounded around midnight (2200 GMT) in the western Negev, the Israeli military said, and “two projectiles were identified crossing from the central Gaza Strip into Israeli territory.”
“One projectile was successfully intercepted and the second projectile fell in an open area,” the army said on Telegram.
The military said it has intercepted several rockets fired from northern Gaza in recent days.
Since October, Israeli operations in Gaza have focused on the north, with officials saying their land and air offensive aims to prevent Hamas from regrouping.
The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in 1,208 deaths — mostly civilians — according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed more than 45,500 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
The UN considers those figures reliable.

Topics: War on Gaza projectile Israel

Related

Update Fire erupts on vessel east of Yemen’s Aden after being hit by unknown projectiles, UKMTO says
Middle-East
Fire erupts on vessel east of Yemen’s Aden after being hit by unknown projectiles, UKMTO says
Israel army says Hezbollah fired about 320 projectiles into Israel over Yom Kippur
Middle-East
Israel army says Hezbollah fired about 320 projectiles into Israel over Yom Kippur

Opinion

Lina Tayara
AI adoption calls for complete overhaul of digital and energy infrastructure
Author
Patrizia A. Ecker
Addressing AI’s bias from a humanistic perspective
Author
Rafael Hernández de Santiago
Techville’s ethics might crash as weaponized bird-like drones take flight
Author
Patrice Caine
Without proper cybersecurity protections, AI is a gamble we cannot afford
Author
Mohammed A. Al-Qarni
Educating students for an AI-collaborative future
Author
More in Opinion

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.