Gulf News

Virtual health consultati­on on cards

Dubai Health Authority selects four firms for next phase of smart health care

- Staff Report

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has selected four firms for the fourth cohort of the Dubai Future Accelerato­rs Initiative. Artificial Intelligen­ce (AI) and its deployment in the health care setting are a key focus during this cycle.

The firms have nine weeks to work with DHA teams to discuss how they can implement the technology they have in Dubai keeping the nuances of the health sector in mind.

In this cycle, DHA is discussing the implementa­tion of virtual health through an app, which uses AI technology to provide remote GP consultati­ons. The consultati­ons are available round the clock.

Additional­ly, the app syncs with 400 devices, including Apple and Android products, so that informatio­n about the patient’s sleep pattern, exercise routine, number of calories burnt and daily activity is recorded. This informatio­n is available to the GP along with the patient history at the time of consultati­on.

The app will soon have emotional analysis, so when you use it for virtual video calling your GP, it prevents you from answering health-related questions dishonestl­y.

The DHA Dubai Future Accelerato­r team is working with the app creator, to see how this technology can be implemente­d in Dubai and they are working on an Arabic version of the app. Additional­ly, the team is discussing the use of a headgear to detect stroke, and is working with a firm that is researchin­g the use of artificial pancreas for diabetic patients.

Dr Mohammad Al Reda, director of the Executive Office for Organisati­onal Transforma­tion in DHA, said: “The aim of the DHA as part of the Dubai Future Accelerato­rs initiative is to explore the latest in technology. We aim to revolution­ise the way health care is delivered while focusing on patientcen­tric care. We are looking for ways to improve the lives of patients and on ensuring patients lead a high quality of life to the best extent possible. Technology also has the power to improve efficienci­es of the overall health sector, improve health care management and bring down the cost of care.”

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