emirates7 - The World Economic Forum has published a new white paper highlighting Abu Dhabi as one of the first health systems globally to build intelligent, system-wide health infrastructure, reinforcing the emirate’s leadership in advancing innovative, prevention-focused healthcare.
Released ahead of the Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, the paper, titled "A New Era for Digital Health: Abu Dhabi’s Leap to Health Intelligence," outlines how Abu Dhabi has integrated clinical, genomic, financial, lifestyle and environmental data into its unified health system architecture.
This approach supports earlier disease prevention, faster clinical intervention and improved population health outcomes, while strengthening long-term system sustainability.
The paper notes that despite significant global investment in digital health, many health systems continue to face challenges in scaling innovation due to fragmentation, limited interoperability and lack of system-wide intelligence.
Abu Dhabi is presented as a practical model for addressing these challenges by treating population health intelligence as foundational infrastructure, comparable to utilities such as power grids or broadband networks.
The report highlights several indicators demonstrating the scale and impact of Abu Dhabi’s intelligent health system, including the integration of more than 100,000 data streams, the connection of 3.5 billion clinical records across over 3,000 healthcare facilities, and the analysis of 2 billion insurance claim activities using artificial intelligence to reduce waste and improve efficiency. It also references the sequencing of more than 850,000 genomes as part of the Emirati Genome Programme, positioning Abu Dhabi among the world’s leading national genomic programmes.
The paper shows how this system-level approach has enabled earlier cancer detection, more personalised prevention pathways and faster emergency response, including a 30 percent reduction in heart attack response times, outperforming global benchmarks.
Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, highlights in the report Abu Dhabi’s focus on building intelligence as infrastructure, not isolated innovation. Al Mansoori said, “True transformation happens when innovation meets scale. Health system intelligence lays the foundation that enables prevention and personalised health to become a reality at the population level.”
Shyam Bishen, Head of Health and Healthcare at the World Economic Forum, said, “Abu Dhabi’s story is ultimately a human one: using connected data and responsible AI to predict risk earlier, prevent avoidable illness, and help people get the right care at the right time. We hope this white paper gives leaders everywhere a practical playbook and the confidence to scale what works.”
Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, underscored the global relevance of Abu Dhabi’s approach, saying, “Healthcare is entering a new era, one built on precision, speed and better access to care. In Abu Dhabi, AI is helping clinicians diagnose faster and giving policymakers real-time insights so they can act sooner, and communities can stay healthier.”
The paper serves as both a case study and a practical reference for governments and healthcare leaders seeking to modernise health systems, enhance resilience and transition from reactive models of care to prevention-led approaches.
Published on 16th January 2026 by the World Economic Forum, the paper was co-authored by the Forum and the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, with contributions from Microsoft, M42, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Health Data Services and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, as part of the Forum’s Digital Healthcare Transformation (DHT) initiative – Pathfinder Network.
The initiative serves as a global platform for public-private collaboration on digital health, AI, and data, helping CEOs, Ministers, and other key leaders in healthcare, technology and policy navigate health transformation, working with over 200 organisations across regions and sectors. It aligns with efforts by international bodies, national governments, and the private sector with a focus on improving health for patients and populations enabled by innovation.
Released ahead of the Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, the paper, titled "A New Era for Digital Health: Abu Dhabi’s Leap to Health Intelligence," outlines how Abu Dhabi has integrated clinical, genomic, financial, lifestyle and environmental data into its unified health system architecture.
This approach supports earlier disease prevention, faster clinical intervention and improved population health outcomes, while strengthening long-term system sustainability.
The paper notes that despite significant global investment in digital health, many health systems continue to face challenges in scaling innovation due to fragmentation, limited interoperability and lack of system-wide intelligence.
Abu Dhabi is presented as a practical model for addressing these challenges by treating population health intelligence as foundational infrastructure, comparable to utilities such as power grids or broadband networks.
The report highlights several indicators demonstrating the scale and impact of Abu Dhabi’s intelligent health system, including the integration of more than 100,000 data streams, the connection of 3.5 billion clinical records across over 3,000 healthcare facilities, and the analysis of 2 billion insurance claim activities using artificial intelligence to reduce waste and improve efficiency. It also references the sequencing of more than 850,000 genomes as part of the Emirati Genome Programme, positioning Abu Dhabi among the world’s leading national genomic programmes.
The paper shows how this system-level approach has enabled earlier cancer detection, more personalised prevention pathways and faster emergency response, including a 30 percent reduction in heart attack response times, outperforming global benchmarks.
Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, highlights in the report Abu Dhabi’s focus on building intelligence as infrastructure, not isolated innovation. Al Mansoori said, “True transformation happens when innovation meets scale. Health system intelligence lays the foundation that enables prevention and personalised health to become a reality at the population level.”
Shyam Bishen, Head of Health and Healthcare at the World Economic Forum, said, “Abu Dhabi’s story is ultimately a human one: using connected data and responsible AI to predict risk earlier, prevent avoidable illness, and help people get the right care at the right time. We hope this white paper gives leaders everywhere a practical playbook and the confidence to scale what works.”
Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, underscored the global relevance of Abu Dhabi’s approach, saying, “Healthcare is entering a new era, one built on precision, speed and better access to care. In Abu Dhabi, AI is helping clinicians diagnose faster and giving policymakers real-time insights so they can act sooner, and communities can stay healthier.”
The paper serves as both a case study and a practical reference for governments and healthcare leaders seeking to modernise health systems, enhance resilience and transition from reactive models of care to prevention-led approaches.
Published on 16th January 2026 by the World Economic Forum, the paper was co-authored by the Forum and the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, with contributions from Microsoft, M42, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Health Data Services and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, as part of the Forum’s Digital Healthcare Transformation (DHT) initiative – Pathfinder Network.
The initiative serves as a global platform for public-private collaboration on digital health, AI, and data, helping CEOs, Ministers, and other key leaders in healthcare, technology and policy navigate health transformation, working with over 200 organisations across regions and sectors. It aligns with efforts by international bodies, national governments, and the private sector with a focus on improving health for patients and populations enabled by innovation.