Dubai Health Authority unveils virtual health app for GP consultations

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has unveiled a new virtual health app, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) and is aimed at allowing general practitioners (GPs) to provide remote consultations.

The initiative is part of the Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA), an intensive nine-week programme for public and private sector organisations and startups that are using Dubai as a living test bed to co-create solutions for global and local challenges.

The DHA has elected four firms as part of the DFA initiative to help the health authority continue to roll out its AI strategy and deployment in the healthcare.

DHA has started trials for the implementation of the virtual health app, which uses AI technology to provide remote GP consultations.

The DHA said consultations are available around the clock and the app syncs with 400 devices, including Apple and Android products, so that information about the patient’s sleep pattern, exercise routine, number of calories burned and daily activity is recorded. This information is available to the GP along with the patient history at the time of consultations.

The app will soon have emotional analysis, so when you use it for virtual video calling your GP it prevents you from answering health-related questions dishonestly. The DHA Dubai Future Accelerator team is working with the app creator to see how this technology can be widely implemented in Dubai, and they are working on an Arabic version of the app.

Mohammed Al Redha, director of the executive office for organisational transformation at the DHA, said: “The aim of the DHA as part of the DFA initiative is to explore the latest in technology. We aim to revolutionise the way public and private healthcare is delivered while focusing on patient-centric care.”

Al Redha said the DHA is looking for ways to improve the lives of patients and on ensuring patients lead a high quality of life to the best extent possible. “Technology has the power to improve the efficiencies of the overall healthcare sector, improve healthcare management and bring down the cost of care.”

Khulood Al Ali, specialist at the executive office for organisational transformation at the DHA, added that: “The DHA is working with the four companies as part of the DFA scheme to see how we can incorporate their technology in Dubai.

“It’s important to understand the benefits of the Dubai Future Accelerators initiative. It provides us with a platform to think of groundbreaking ideas that can benefit patients and the healthcare sector in general.”

As part of the Dubai Future Accelerators programme, the DHA is also working with 3D printing firms and has already deployed 3D technology across its dental services. As a result several complicated surgeries are being performed using 3D technology, added Al Ali.

“3D-printed artificial legs were used to provide amputees with a new lease of life,” said Al Ali. “One of the amputees mentioned how her 3D-printed foot was much closer to the feeling of having an actual foot compared with the previous artificial leg she was using.”