The Abu Dhabi Department of Health and the World Economic Forum have announced the next phase of their partnership focused on advancing smart health systems and promoting long-term healthy living. This initiative strengthens Abu Dhabi’s standing as a global leader in preventive and personalized healthcare.
The signing event was attended by Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairwoman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, World Economic Forum President and CEO Børge Brende, BlackRock Chairman Larry Fink, and the interim co-chair of the World Economic Forum Board.
In this context, Mansour Al Mansouri, Head of the Abu Dhabi Department of Health, stated that while health systems are witnessing an upswing in individual innovations and pioneering experiences, there is still a lack of integration and an over-reliance on traditional responses to illness rather than preventive measures. Through our partnership with the World Economic Forum, we aim to revolutionize the global healthcare model by transitioning to a smart health infrastructure based on integrated data and advanced technologies. This initiative seeks to create a proactive healthcare system that emphasizes personalized care and prioritizes prevention over treatment, allowing community members to lead healthier, longer lives.
This development builds on the previous phase of collaboration between the Abu Dhabi Department of Health and the Forum, which produced a joint research paper titled “A New Era for Digital Health: Abu Dhabi’s Leap Towards Health Intelligence.”
The paper highlights how Abu Dhabi has successfully established a comprehensive system that links clinical, genomic, lifestyle, and environmental data, aiming to predict risks, prevent diseases, and support health policy-making on a broad population scale.
Dr. Shyam B. Pishan, Head of Health and Healthcare at the World Economic Forum, noted that in the next stage, Abu Dhabi will continue to serve as a leading global hub within the Forum’s digital transformation initiative for the healthcare sector. This international network includes over 200 organizations from health, technology, policy, and investment sectors, aiming to accelerate the development of healthcare systems worldwide and promote more efficient and sustainable models that put people at the heart of care.
In the coming phase, Abu Dhabi will maintain its role as a global pioneer in exploration and experimentation within the Forum’s digital healthcare transformation initiative, which is led by executives and ministers, bringing together over 200 organizations from health, technology, policy, and investment sectors. The aim is to expedite the transformation of healthcare systems globally and reimagine the concept of health through digital innovation, artificial intelligence, and large-scale data-driven solutions.
Abu Dhabi’s experience in this field will continue to inspire global discussions and shape collaborative pathways across various priority areas, including developing the concept of long-term healthy living backed by health research, the role of smart health systems in influencing public health policies and decision-making, and the integration of digital technologies, data, and artificial intelligence into the healthcare ecosystem.
This work will complement broader health initiatives of the Forum, including the Healthy Aging Initiative, the Community of Chief Health Officers, and the partnership focused on the sustainability of health systems and their ability to tackle challenges. This will create opportunities to connect Abu Dhabi’s experience with global health policy leaders and the health and investment sectors.