Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is working with private companies from across the world to implement cutting-edge technologies to provide patients with the very best standards of care.

The initiative is part of the Dubai Future Foundation’s Dubai Accelerators programme.

HE Humaid Al Qutami, Director General of the DHA met with the four companies that are part of the DHA’s fifth Dubai Future Accelerators cycle.

The DHA is working with these companies to brainstorm and discuss ways to implement these solutions in the health sector in Dubai.

Al Qutami said, “The Dubai Future Accelerators programme is a platform that provides us with an opportunity to explore the use of cutting-edge technology in the healthcare space. At the end of the day, patient-outcomes and happiness is our core priority and technology has the potential to transform healthcare for the better.”

Scanbo Technologies is one of the companies working with the DHA’s Dubai Future Accelerators office. Over the next nine weeks, these companies will present proofs of concepts and pilot projects at DHA hospitals to see how this technology can be incorporated in Dubai. 

The company has invented a tiny device that can be connected through Bluetooth to a mobile phone.

The patient simply needs to place his fingers on the device and in less than two minutes; the device provides accurate details of six vitals: blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, ECG, blood sugar and oxygen levels.

The details are provided on an app, which saves previous reports as well.

Rohini Kaul, Co-founder of Scanbo Technologies, said “The idea is to empower the patient to self-check regularly. This app can also be accessed by doctors so it allows both the patient and the doctor to foresee any minute deviation for early intervention and further investigation.”

Dr Mohammed Redha, Director of Project Management Office, Informatics and Smart Health at Dubai Health Authority said, “ DHA is keen on exploring the use of technology in healthcare as technology has the power to transform lives and in the healthcare space, it is even more impactful as it directly improves patient care.”

Remote doctors for specialised surgeries 
Another technology being assessed is Proximie, a cloud-based augmented reality platform, which allows doctors to virtually transport themselves into any operating room or clinic to collaborate, guide and support surgeons and healthcare professionals.

The technology is being used in several countries, including across South America, for complicated surgeries for children with cleft lips. It is also being used at different hospitals around the world, as well as medical device manufacturing companies, and teaching hospitals and institutions. Tariq El-Titi, Commercial Director of Proximie Gulf said, “The technology allows doctors to virtually scrub in, without being in the operating theatre. The technology literally augments the transmission of the real physical world on screen with additional, digitally generated content. It allows remote hands-on virtual assistance and provides specialized care and input at affordable costs.”

Pre and Post-Natal screening

 P4ML is an Irish company that has designed a (CE-IVD) non-invasive prenatal test(NIPT).  P.J. Moloney, Managing Director of P4ML, said the test is called Eolas Plus and helps detect specific chromosomal disorders as early as 10 weeks to provide valuable information in pregnancy management. We have developed very specific IP to also screen for biomarkers for Fetal Growth restrictions in tandem with our NIPT Test.

Moloney, said, “Preeclampsia and FGR are disorders that cause short-term complications for the infant and have been associated with a range of diseases in adult life, such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and long-term neurodevelopmental disorders. Moreover, these complications have profound effects on maternal morbidity and mortality. Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal death globally, and preeclampsia and FGR are markers for the mother’s later risk of cardiovascular disease. Both preeclampsia and FGR are associated with abnormal placental function and metabolism. We pick up biomarkers for fetal growth disorder or pre-eclampsia so that the clinician can then advise and put the patient on a dose of aspirin to help bring the mum and baby to full term.  “Normally, in cases of pre-eclampsia the only solution is a C-section at week 28 or at 32 and the baby is born preterm and needs admission in an INCU. However, early detection at 10 weeks allows the doctor to put the patient on aspirin so that they can bring the mum and baby to term at 38 to 40 weeks.” 

Robotic assistant for surgeries

Amer Khayel from Amico explains how his company supplies a robotic assistant known as ROSA that employs a similar technology and it has a robotic arm.

Khayal, said: “ROSA automatically positions the guide according to the planned screw trajectory and allows precise adjustment of the guide’s position. The robot arm follows the patients’ movement in real time, a feature that mimics real life and  responds to one of the common unmet clinical needs.”