Empowering healthcare transformation with AI and strategic innovation

Empowering healthcare transformation with AI and strategic innovation

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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

Increase of US military assets in Middle East points to potential strikes on Houthis

Increase of US military assets in Middle East points to potential strikes on Houthis
Updated 4 min 37 sec ago
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Increase of US military assets in Middle East points to potential strikes on Houthis

Increase of US military assets in Middle East points to potential strikes on Houthis
  • US has deployed highly sophisticated aircraft and a second aircraft carrier to the region
  • Indications US is planning strikes on the Houthis in Yemen and possibly looking to send a strong message to Iran

LONDON: The significant increase of US military assets positioned in the Middle East points to the potential of heavy strikes on Iran-backed Houthi positions in Yemen.

The US has recently deployed highly sophisticated aircraft and a second aircraft carrier to the region.

At least five B-2 stealth bombers have been deployed to Diego Garcia, a British military base used by the US in the Indian Ocean. More are reportedly en route.

Seven C-17 aircraft have also been tracked landing on the remote atoll, suggesting transportation of equipment, personnel and supplies, and refueling aircraft have been repositioned to strategic locations.

The Pentagon recently ordered the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group to extend its deployment in the Red Sea by a month, and a second strike group, led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, is heading for the Middle East.

It is an unusual surge in military assets and an indication, perhaps, that the US is planning heavy strikes on the Houthis in Yemen and possibly looking to send a strong message to Iran.

The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Red Sea shipping and Israel during the conflict in Gaza.

Those attacks stopped while the ceasefire was in force but have restarted following a resumption of Israeli military operations in Gaza.

The Houthis have vowed to strike Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport and have fired ballistic missiles toward Israel on an almost daily basis in recent weeks, triggering air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

The militia claimed to have launched drones at Israel on Tuesday night, but the Israeli military has not confirmed this.

The Trump administration has launched attacks against the Houthis to restore the freedom of shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial waterway for global commerce as it is linked to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal.

The first wave of those attacks was the subject of a major security breach when a journalist was mistakenly included in discussions between senior US government personnel on the messaging app Signal.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has promised to continue striking the Houthis for as long as it takes, and President Trump has warned Iran he might be forced to take military action against its nuclear facilities if Tehran does not agree to talks.


UN says 142,000 people displaced in Gaza in one week

UN says 142,000 people displaced in Gaza in one week
Updated 25 min 7 sec ago
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UN says 142,000 people displaced in Gaza in one week

UN says 142,000 people displaced in Gaza in one week
  • The space available for families is “shrinking,” said spokesperson
  • Displacement orders currently cover some 17 percent of Gaza

UNITED NATIONS: The resumption of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip has displaced 142,000 people in a mere seven days, the United Nations said Wednesday, warning of dwindling stocks of humanitarian aid.
“In just one week, 142,000 people have been displaced,” the spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, pointing out that about 90 percent of Gaza’s population has been displaced at least once between the start of the war on October 7, 2023 and January of this year.
The space available for families is “shrinking,” he said, adding that displacement orders currently cover some 17 percent of Gaza.
With each wave of displacement, thousands of people “lose not just their shelter, but also access to essentials such as food, drinking water and health care,” said the spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.
The “relentless bombardments and daily displacement orders” coupled with blocks on aid “are having a devastating impact on the entire population of more than two million people,” he said.
“Our humanitarian partners are warning that as a result, medical stocks, cooking gas and fuel needed to power bakeries and ambulances are running dangerously low.”


Palestinians protest Hamas in a rare public show of dissent in Gaza

Palestinians protest Hamas in a rare public show of dissent in Gaza
Updated 23 min 24 sec ago
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Palestinians protest Hamas in a rare public show of dissent in Gaza

Palestinians protest Hamas in a rare public show of dissent in Gaza
  • Protesters called for an end to 17 months of deadly fighting with Israel that has made life in Gaza insufferable
  • Public calls against Hamas, which still rules the territory months into the war with Israel, were rare

CAIRO: Thousands of Palestinians marched between the wreckage of a heavily destroyed town in northern Gaza on Wednesday in the second day of anti-war protests, with many chanting against Hamas in a rare display of public anger against the militant group.
The protests, which centered mainly on Gaza’s north, appeared to be aimed generally against the war, with protesters calling for an end to 17 months of deadly fighting with Israel that has made life in Gaza insufferable.
But the public calls against Hamas, which has long repressed dissent and still rules the territory months into the war with Israel, were rare.
In the town of Beit Lahiya, where a similar protest took place Tuesday, about 3,000 people demonstrated, with many chanting “the people want the fall of Hamas.” In the hard-hit Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City, dozens of men chanted “Out, out out! Hamas get out!”
“Our children have been killed. Our houses have been destroyed,” said Abed Radwan, who said he joined the protest in Beit Lahiya “against the war, against Hamas, and the (Palestinian political) factions, against Israel and against the world’s silence.”
Ammar Hassan, who took part in a protest Tuesday, said it started as an anti-war protest with a few dozen people but swelled to more than 2,000, with people chanting against Hamas.
“It’s the only party we can affect,” he said by phone. “Protests won’t stop the (Israeli) occupation, but it can affect Hamas.”
The militant group has violently cracked down on previous protests. This time no outright intervention was apparent, perhaps because Hamas is keeping a lower profile since Israel resumed its war against it.
Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim, in a post on Facebook, wrote that people had the right to protest but that their focus should be on the “criminal aggressor,” Israel.
’We want to stop the killing’
Family elders from Beit Lahiya expressed support for the protests against Israel’s renewed offensive and its tightened blockade on all supplies into Gaza. Their statement said the community fully supports armed resistance against Israel.
“The protest was not about politics. It was about people’s lives,” said Mohammed Abu Saker, a father of three from the nearby town of Beit Hanoun, who joined a demonstration Tuesday.
“We want to stop the killing and displacement, no matter the price. We can’t stop Israel from killing us, but we can press Hamas to give concessions,” he said.
A similar protest occurred in the heavily destroyed area of Jabaliya on Tuesday, according to witnesses.
One protester in Jabaliya, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said they joined the demonstration because “everyone failed us.”
They said they chanted against Israel, Hamas, the Western-backed Palestinian Authority and Arab mediators. They said there were no Hamas security forces at the protest but scuffles broke out between supporters and opponents of the group.
Later, they said they regretted participating because of Israeli media coverage, which emphasized the opposition to Hamas.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz urged Palestinians to join the protests.
“You too should demand the removal of Hamas from Gaza and the immediate release of all Israeli hostages. That is the only way to stop the war,” he said.
A 19-year-old Palestinian, who also spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution said he planned to join demonstrations on Wednesday. His mother has cancer and his 10-year-old brother is hospitalized with cerebral palsy, and he said the family has been displaced multiple times since their home was destroyed.
“People are angry at the whole world,” including the United States, Israel and Hamas, he said. “We want Hamas to resolve this situation, return the hostages and end this whole thing.”
Renewed fighting
The protests erupted a week after Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas by launching a surprise wave of strikes that killed hundreds of people. Earlier this month, Israel halted deliveries of food, fuel, medicine and humanitarian aid to Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians.
Israel has vowed to escalate the war until Hamas returns the 59 hostages it still holds — 24 of them believed to be alive. Israel is also demanding that the group give up power, disarm and send its leaders into exile.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The war was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 50,000 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel’s bombardment and ground operations have caused vast destruction and at their height displaced some 90 percent of Gaza’s population.
Hamas won a landslide victory in the last Palestinian elections, held in 2006. It seized power in Gaza from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, dominated by the secular Fatah movement, the following year after months of factional unrest and a week of heavy street battles.


Pakistan unveils ‘fastest’ EV charging station in Islamabad 

Pakistan unveils ‘fastest’ EV charging station in Islamabad 
Updated 33 min 29 sec ago
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Pakistan unveils ‘fastest’ EV charging station in Islamabad 

Pakistan unveils ‘fastest’ EV charging station in Islamabad 
  • 120KW EV charging station can recharge electric vehicles within 30-60 minutes
  • Government approved national EV policy in 2019, setting target of 30 percent EVs by 2030

ISLAMABAD: Power Minister Sardar Awais Leghari has inaugurated the country’s fastest Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station in Islamabad, the state broadcaster reported this week, as Pakistan moves to enact reforms of the energy sector designed to boost demand.

The government approved the National Electric Vehicles Policy (NEVP) in 2019, setting a target of 30 percent EVs by 2030. 

“EVs are the future of Pakistan and the government is committed to promoting green energy,” Radio Pakistan quoted Leghari as saying on Tuesday as he inaugurated a 120kW EV charging station, which enables faster charging than standard residential chargers (3-7 kW), allowing EVs to recharge typically within 30-60 minutes.

Leghari also said the cost of electric charging units had been reduced from Rs71 to Rs39 [$0.14], which was expected to lower transportation expenses, positively impacting goods delivery and essential commodity prices.

Earlier this year, Pakistan announced a 45 percent reduction in power tariffs for electric vehicle charging stations. The government is also planning financing schemes for e-bikes and the conversion of two and three-wheeled petrol vehicles.

According to a report submitted to the government by power ministry adviser Ammar Habib Khan and seen by Reuters, there are currently more than 30 million two- and three-wheeled vehicles in Pakistan, which consume more than $5 billion worth of petroleum annually. The ministry plans to convert 1 million two-wheelers to electric bikes in a first phase, at an estimated net cost of 40,000 rupees per bike, according to the report, saving around $165 million in fuel import costs annually.

BYD Pakistan, a partnership between China’s BYD and Pakistani car group Mega Motors, told Reuters in September that up to 50 percent of all vehicles bought in Pakistan by 2030 will be electrified in some form in line with global targets.

In January, China’s ADM Group revealed plans to invest $250 million in setting up an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Pakistan.


Spain arrests suspect over murder of US priest

Spain arrests suspect over murder of US priest
Updated 40 min 45 sec ago
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Spain arrests suspect over murder of US priest

Spain arrests suspect over murder of US priest
  • Father Richard Gross, who was from the US city of Boston, was found dead in January inside a holiday apartment
  • Officers arrested a 40-year-old French national on Tuesday in the southern city of Seville, Spain’s national police said

MADRID: Spanish police said on Wednesday they had arrested a man suspected of strangling an 80-year-old US Catholic priest during a robbery in the southern city of Malaga.
Father Richard Gross, who was from the US city of Boston, was found dead in January inside a holiday apartment he had rented in the center of the city, where he was preparing to embark on a cruise.
Officers arrested a 40-year-old French national on Tuesday in the southern city of Seville, Spain’s national police said in a statement. They said he was detained on suspicion of murder.
Another suspect was already in custody: a 27-year-old North African man arrested in late January. Police said they believed he acted as a lookout during the attack. Both men have criminal records related to theft.
Police suspect the two men followed Gross as he got out of a taxi the day he arrived in Malaga and followed him to the entrance of his holiday apartment, where the attack took place.
“The priest was approached by surprise and that the assailant used great violence in response to the victim’s resistance, compressing his airways until he died,” the police statement said.
It added that it was believed the suspects targeted Gross because he was “vulnerable.”
The two suspects then fled the scene with the priest’s belongings, including his suitcase.
An autopsy concluded the cause of death was “asphyxia through suffocation,” the statement said.
The US chapter of the Roman Catholic Church’s Jesuit order to which Gross belonged hailed his “independent and adventurous spirit” and “high energy.”
Gross, who had taught at several schools in the United States, was scheduled to serve as a chaplain on the cruise he was preparing to embark upon in Malaga.