DHA revolutionizes healthcare delivery in Dubai through cutting-edge smart solutions

Dubai’s digital transformation journey has ignited a profound shift across all vital service sectors, propelling them to adopt the latest cutting-edge digital technologies. This visionary embrace of technology is not merely about innovation; it’s a concerted effort to elevate the quality of life for Dubai’s residents. By leveraging the latest advancements, the city is crafting digital solutions that enhance safety, healthcare, education, and overall well-being.

The Dubai Health Authority stands as a key government entity at the forefront of driving digital transformation in the healthcare sector, aligning with the city’s vision to become a leading global smart city and innovation hub. In 2014, the Authority embarked on an ambitious digital transformation journey, with the aim of revolutionizing healthcare experiences for patients and residents through a fusion of innovation and smart technologies.

Today, DHA steadfastly continues its commitment to smart transformation, channeling these efforts into the evolution of the healthcare system within the emirate. This evolution is achieved through the provision of smart services, digital platforms, and applications that align with the ever-changing landscape, streamlining processes, conserving time and effort, and ultimately, delivering top-tier services while fostering community awareness and engagement.

To date, the Authority managed to achieve remarkable progress in its journey towards smart transformation and ensuring the sustainability of the health sector. Notable milestones include a 98.55% digital completion rate, a 98.91% automation of internal processes, a 93.42% digital adoption rate, and a 100% smart remote inspection rate, all made possible through the implementation of the ‘RASED’ system

Digital Transformation Projects
In an effort to create a robust health sector in the emirate, DHA’s established the NABIDH platform for the secure exchange of reliable healthcare information among licensed health facilities in Dubai. The innovative platform enables healthcare providers to securely access and share comprehensive medical records of patients from both public and private health facilities in Dubai.
To date, the number of unified medical files available on the platform has reached 7.8 million. Furthermore, since its launch in October 2020, the platform has facilitated the exchange of over 352 million messages containing new health data from facilities associated with the platform.

Another innovative initiative that the Authority continues to develop is ‘Sheryan’, a system aimed at improving healthcare facility services and professional licensing services while aligning it with the regulations outlined by the Ministry of Health and Prevention. DHA has undertaken several enhancements to streamline the platform’s user interface and link it with various government entities, including the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, thereby reducing transaction processing times.

Since the system’s automation in 2019 up to the first half of this year, the ‘Sheryan’ platform has facilitated more than 4 million transactions. The number of registered health professionals in Dubai now stands at 85,000, with 76,000 professionals having applied for electronic exams. During this same period, the platform has audited the certificates of 116,000 professionals, marking significant progress and efficiency in the licensing and registration processes.

HASANA System
To align with its accelerated smart transformation, the DHA has upgraded its Public Health Solution for Disease Surveillance Management. The improved version of the innovative solution called HASANA, which means immunity, aims to seamlessly integrate all government and private health facilities in Dubai, ensuring the creation of a unified immunization record for each client across all health facilities in the city. Furthermore, it establishes a robust system to effectively manage and control the transmission of communicable diseases.

The upgraded immunity system offers several key advantages, with early warning being paramount for the timely detection of disease outbreaks. It achieves this by collecting and analyzing data related to disease occurrences, alongside laboratory reports, hospitalization records, and other relevant indicators.

Furthermore, the HASANA system offers electronic vaccination certificate issuance services, equipping decision-makers with essential data to identify and proactively prevent infectious disease outbreaks. It aids in controlling their spread efficiently by leveraging cutting-edge technologies, analytical tools, dashboards, and reports.

The HASANA system has 5,473 users from affiliated service providers, serving a vast customer base that has exceeded 15.8 million individuals. Additionally, the system encompasses access to a total of 991 health facilities.

Smart Transactions
The number of smart transactions registered on DHA’s digital platforms witnessed a substantial increase during the first half of the year, with 2.3 million transactions recorded, marking a 13% increase from the same period in 2022.

Furthermore, health licensing services provided through DHA’s smart applications saw a 25% increase in transactions compared to the first half of 2022, with 667,000 transactions in the current year, up from 533,000 in 2022.

Artificial Intelligence Deployment
As part of the Authority’s commitment to harness advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, AI tools are employed to assess the eligibility of health professionals in the sector seeking medical practice licenses. In the first half of 2023, approximately 70,000 applicants underwent evaluation through the ‘Sheryan’ platform. Additionally, AI is utilized to expedite the issuance of certificates of good conduct for health sector workers, resulting in 3,457 certificates being issued during the same period.

Community Awareness
DHA has also been utilizing its digital platforms to conduct virtual health awareness workshops targeting both healthcare professionals and community members.  The Authority carried out 57 awareness campaigns aimed at various communities and schools in the first half of 2023. These campaigns reached around 64,000 individuals, including over 11,000 students.