First health hackathon to help people of determination live better
Hackers will be invited to develop solutions that ease the dayto-day lives of people of determination at the upcoming Dubai Health Forum (DHF), which will be held from January 21 to 22.
The DHF will be introducing its first health hackathon ‘The Dubai Health Hack’, which is set to last for 30 hours, said officials from the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) as they announced the details of the third edition of the DHF.
Humaid Al Qutami, director-general of the DHA, said: “The DHF has positioned itself as an international summit where health professionals, specialists and leaders meet to discuss the latest medical advancements, professional practices, techniques and research.”
Dr Manal Taryam, CEO of the primary healthcare sector at the DHA and president of the forum, said the DHF will see 42 international
speakers from global organisations such as the World Bank, Nasa, IBM and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. They will explore different
topics such as gender balance, universal health coverage, patient centricity, health financing, quantum computing in health, artificial intelligence in genomics as — Supplied photo
well as the use of blockchain technology in health regulation, among others.
“Given that 2019 was declared the Year of Tolerance by the President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, we wanted to add a humanitarian aspect to the forum and incorporate sessions on international best practices in dealing with humanitarian crises. We
invited top officials from India to talk about how they maintained the health and safety of citizens during the Kerala flood. We also invited the health minister of Lebanon to share their experiences in maintaining public health and safety during the influx of refugees,” Taryam said.
The forum’s Innovation Park will showcase innovations of 25 startups in the field of health. Amani Al Technology has been a gamechanger for the healthcare industry. From apps to artificial wombs, innovative ideas integrating technology with healthcare is benefitting billions globally. dubai’s quest to push the envelope further will make healthcare services truly universal. a deformity or a disability is an issue only when seen as one. Health hacks can bridge gaps in healthcare accessibility and offer solutions that’ll make life more convenient and our society healthier.
High-tech healthcare
Jasmi, director of IT at the DHA, said the main themes of the hackathon will be about discovering solutions for people of determination with the key aim of empowering them. The winner will be announced during Innovation Week 2019 in February.