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

What We Are Reading Today: The Last Peasant War

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Updated 12 min 45 sec ago
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What We Are Reading Today: The Last Peasant War

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Author: Jakub S. Benes

As the First World War ended, villages across central and eastern Europe rose in revolt. Led in many places by a shadowy movement of army deserters, peasants attacked those whom they blamed for wartime abuses and long years of exploitation—large estate owners, officials, and merchants, who were often Jewish. At the same time, peasants tried to realize their rural visions of a reborn society, establishing local self-government or attempting to influence the new states that were being built atop the wreckage of the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires. In “The Last Peasant War,” Jakub Beneš presents the first comprehensive history of this dramatic and largely forgotten revolution and traces its impact on interwar politics and the course of the Second World War.

Sweeping large portions of the countryside between the Alps and the Urals from 1917 to 1921, this peasant revolution had momentous aftereffects, especially among Slavic peoples in the former lands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It enabled an unprecedented expansion of agrarian politics in the interwar period and provided a script for rural resistance that was later revived to resist Nazi occupation and to challenge Communist rule in east central Europe.

 


Legal battle intensifies over Gaza as ICJ rulings face defiance

Legal battle intensifies over Gaza as ICJ rulings face defiance
Updated 7 min 3 sec ago
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Legal battle intensifies over Gaza as ICJ rulings face defiance

Legal battle intensifies over Gaza as ICJ rulings face defiance
  • The two nations are spearheading the newly formed Hague Group, a coalition of nine countries

LONDON: The international legal battle over Gaza has deepened as South Africa and Malaysia announced a campaign to uphold rulings from the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, responding to what they described as widespread defiance of international legal orders.

The two nations are spearheading the newly formed Hague Group, a coalition of nine countries — also including Belize, Honduras, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Senegal and Namibia — committed to defending the global legal framework, The Guardian newspaper reported on Friday.

Their initiative follows mounting frustration in the Global South over perceived Western double standards in the application of international law, particularly in the cases of Gaza, Ukraine and Mediterranean human smuggling.

South Africa’s Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola, said: “The Hague Group’s formation sends a clear message: No nation is above the law and no crime will go unanswered.”

South Africa has taken a leading role in pursuing legal accountability for the war in Gaza, having filed a case at the ICJ accusing Israel of genocide.

Israel has fiercely rejected the claim but interim rulings from the ICJ in January last year mandated it to take immediate measures to prevent genocidal acts and allow humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.

However, a recent Oxfam survey of nongovernmental agencies operating in Gaza found that 89 percent of agencies reported deteriorating access to aid since the ICJ’s orders were issued. The ongoing humanitarian crisis and Israel’s apparent noncompliance have intensified calls for international enforcement mechanisms.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the campaign was not about punishing Israel but about defending the integrity of global legal institutions.

“These rulings strike at the very foundations of international law, which the global community has a duty to defend,” he said.

The growing resistance to ICJ rulings has drawn attention to broader concerns over the erosion of international law. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a report outlining steps that member states could take to ensure Israel’s compliance, including reaffirming the ICJ’s finding that its continued occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and should end within a year.

Switzerland has been tasked with convening a conference in March for the 196 signatories of the Geneva Conventions to reaffirm the legal obligations regarding occupied Palestinian territory. A conference in June in New York is set to discuss the feasibility of a two-state solution.

But enforcing ICJ rulings remains a challenge. Newly appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has endorsed a congressional bill proposing sanctions against any individuals or entities cooperating with ICC investigations targeting the US or its allies. The bill could extend to family members, further complicating efforts to hold Israel accountable.


Divers returning to the Potomac River for DC plane crash recovery, investigation

Divers returning to the Potomac River for DC plane crash recovery, investigation
Updated 15 min 47 sec ago
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Divers returning to the Potomac River for DC plane crash recovery, investigation

Divers returning to the Potomac River for DC plane crash recovery, investigation
  • Investigators have already recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder

ARLINGTON: Divers are expected to return to the Potomac River on Friday as part of the recovery and investigation after a midair collision killed
67 people in the US’ deadliest aviation disaster in almost a quarter century.

Investigators have already recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder of the American Airlines plane that collided with an Army helicopter as the plane was landing Wednesday night at Ronald Reagan National Airport next to Washington, DC. Officials are scrutinizing a range of factors in what National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Hommendy has called an “all-hands-on-deck event.”
All aboard the two aircraft were killed, with officials examining the actions of the military pilot as well as air traffic control after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the American Airlines jet.
Air crash investigations can take months, and federal investigators told reporters Thursday they would not speculate on the cause.
Authorities were still looking for the helicopter’s black box recorder, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday on Fox News Channel. Other factors in the crash, including the helicopter’s altitude and whether the crew was using its night vision goggles, are still under investigation, Hegseth said.
At least 28 bodies have been pulled from the Potomac River. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew members, and three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.
One air traffic controller was responsible for coordinating helicopter traffic and arriving and departing planes when the collision happened, according to a report by the Federal Aviation Administration that was obtained by The Associated Press. Those duties are often divided between two people, but the airport typically combines the roles at 9:30 p.m., once traffic begins to slow down. On Wednesday the tower supervisor directed that they be combined earlier.
“The position configuration was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” the report said.
A person familiar with the matter, however, said the tower staffing that night was at a normal level. The positions are regularly combined when controllers need to step away from the console for breaks, during shift changes or when air traffic is slow, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal procedures. The FAA has long struggled with a shortage of air traffic controllers.
Officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas, carrying, among others, a group of elite young figure skaters, their parents and coaches, and four union steamfitters from the Washington area.
A top Army aviation official said the crew of the helicopter, a Black Hawk, was “very experienced” and familiar with the congested flying that occurs daily around the city.
“Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn’t something new to either one of them,” said Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation.
The helicopter’s maximum allowed altitude at the time was 200 feet (about 60 meters), Koziol said. It was not immediately clear whether it exceeded that limit, but Hegseth said altitude seemed to be a factor in the collision.
Koziol said investigators need to analyze the flight data before making conclusions about altitude.
Flights at Reagan National resumed around midday Thursday.
Wednesday’s crash was the deadliest in the US since Nov. 12, 2001, when an American Airlines flight slammed into a residential area of Belle Harbor, New York, just after takeoff from Kennedy Airport, killing all 260 people aboard and five people on the ground.
The last major fatal crash involving a US commercial airline occurred in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. Everyone aboard the Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane was killed, along with one person on the ground, bringing the total death toll to 50.

 


Exploring the history of Saudi Arabia’s ancient Dumat Al-Jandal

Exploring the history of Saudi Arabia’s ancient Dumat Al-Jandal
Updated 42 min 6 sec ago
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Exploring the history of Saudi Arabia’s ancient Dumat Al-Jandal

Exploring the history of Saudi Arabia’s ancient Dumat Al-Jandal
  • Dumat Al-Jandal was strong and rich because of trade, says Saudi archeologist

RIYADH: In the heart of Al-Jouf, around 50km away from Sakaka, is the city of Dumat Al-Jandal — or, to give it its ancient name, “Adumato.”

Civilizations and kingdoms have thrived here for thousands of years, leaving behind traces of their existence carved onto walls and corners.

“It was a rainy period with rivers and forests, then it turned into a savanna, then into a period of little rain, then the habitation moved to other nearby sites such as the site of Al-Jamal and the site of Al-Rajajil,” explained Hussain Al-Khalifah, a Saudi archaeologist with over 30 years’ experience.

Italian ambassador Carlo Baldocci, during his visit to archaeological sites at Dumat Aljandal in October 2024. (Supplied)

“After that, the Arabian Peninsula became a desert as we see it today. In ancient times, humans moved to sites with fertile soil and water resources. Therefore, Dumat Al-Jandal is one of the oldest cities inhabited around the second millennium BCE,” he said.

When the city was first established, people needed stability and safety. But that could not be achieved without peace, especially with their neighbors such as the kingdoms of Tayma, Iraq and the Levant.

FASTFACT

Among the kingdoms and empires that tried to control Dumat Al-Jandal were the Assyrians, who made numerous attempts to control and capture the lands.

A trade road was created to exchange goods and link regions, and Dumat Al-Jandal was one of the significant points on this for people coming from the south of the Arabian Peninsula.

“It was an important point at the beginning of the land trade,” Al-Khalifah told Arab News.

Marid Palace, one of the remarks of Dumat Aljandal and evidence of the rich history of the city. (SPA)

“Dumat Al-Jandal was strong and rich because of trade. The people were protectors of the trade that passed by the city and, therefore, they took some of the goods in exchange for protecting merchants.”

Among the kingdoms and empires that tried to control Dumat Al-Jandal were the Assyrians, who made numerous attempts to control and capture the lands.

However, another kingdom was rising at the same time — the Arabian Qedarites, which not only prevented the Assyrians from taking Dumat Al-Jandal but also expanded their territory until they reached Palestine, Al-Khalifah said.

The Assyrians captured Adumato eventually, though the exact date is unknown.

They were known to document information on clay tablets, some of which can still be seen today at Dumat Al-Jandal. They are among the primary sources that mention Arabs, providing a description of the people of the city and one of their queens, Talkhunu, among others.

They also mention a rebel named Yabu who revolted against Ayatea, the king of Dumat Al-Jandal who was loyal to the Assyrians.

The Assyrian king, an advocate of justice who despised aggression and rebellion, sent warriors to aid Ayatea who caught Yabu and put him in chains.

The tablets also mention a popular souk which took place each year on the first day of spring.

 


Review: Carttel Entertainment

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Updated 31 January 2025
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Review: Carttel Entertainment

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  • The mini-golf course offers eight levels, catering to both beginners and seasoned players. Other games include basketball, shuffleboard, air hockey, and snooker

JEDDAH: Jeddah has recently introduced a range of diverse entertainment concepts for kids, but why should adults miss out on the fun?

Carttel Entertainment, which opened this month, offers an exciting mix of elevated entertainment, games, food, and shisha — making it the perfect place to unwind and play.

Carttel spans two floors and features a bowling alley, interactive football simulators, and an F1 racing experience that takes gaming to the next level.

The mini-golf course offers eight levels, catering to both beginners and seasoned players. Other games include basketball, shuffleboard, air hockey, and snooker.

The wooded interior, with rich red curtains and classic theatre-style seating creates an inviting and elegant atmosphere.

Whether you’re playing a game or relaxing with some food, the space’s retro charm with modern touches make it a unique spot in Jeddah’s nightlife.

On the ground floor there is a bar serving fresh juices, mocktails, and a variety of hot and cold beverages as well as food. I sampled the lobster tacos, Wagyu beef tacos, and smashed truffle burgers, which were delicious. For dessert, the hazelnut chocolate cake was so rich and indulgent that I ordered two portions. The menu also features a tempting selection of international sweets, salads, pizzas, and main courses.

For a more exclusive gathering, Carttel offers a VIP Room — a private space equipped with the same games but on a smaller scale. Ideal for celebrations with friends or family, the room accommodates around 20 guests.

Carttel also hosts live music and dance performances from around the world.

It is located at La Prestige Mall, Ash Shati and is open daily from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. For more information and booking visit @carttelentertainment on Instagram.