Abu Dhabi is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to help residents live longer and healthier lives by predicting the risk of serious diseases — including diabetes and cancer — even before symptoms appear.
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) has implemented an AI-powered patient risk profiling system across all hospitals and clinics, enabling doctors to make early interventions based on each patient’s lifelong medical history.
The initiative is part of Abu Dhabi’s three-pillar healthcare vision, which focuses on longevity, world-class medical care, and system resilience.
Speaking at GITEX Global 2025 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Ibrahim Al Jallaf, Executive Director of Digital Health at DoH Abu Dhabi, explained that the patient risk profile evaluates 14 different diseases and provides doctors with an evidence-based estimate of a patient’s likelihood of developing them.
“The system informs the physician about the probability of diseases like diabetes or certain cancers and identifies which lab results or visits may have triggered the AI’s assessment,” Al Jallaf said.
The AI system analyzes a patient’s entire health record from birth, detecting subtle medical patterns that may not be visible to the human eye.
“It studies health trends over time that even experts might miss, helping doctors act early before a disease develops. This means people can live longer, healthier lives because the warning signs are caught sooner,” Al Jallaf explained.
He emphasized that AI acts as a support tool for physicians, not a replacement.
“AI doesn’t make decisions on behalf of doctors — it provides insights. Physicians use their expertise to interpret the findings and integrate them into treatment plans,” he added.
The system is fully integrated across Abu Dhabi’s healthcare network, giving every doctor immediate access to a patient’s complete medical history through Malaffi, the emirate’s health information exchange platform.
“All hospitals and clinics are connected to the risk portal. Even if a patient visits a doctor for the first time, their complete 360-degree health record and risk profile are instantly available,” Al Jallaf said.
Abu Dhabi’s AI ecosystem also includes large language models (LLMs) designed to assist doctors in real time.
“We currently have two live LLMs. The first serves as an intelligent physician assistant that scans health records and highlights the most relevant data during consultations,” Al Jallaf noted.
The second model, integrated into the ‘Sahatna’ mobile app, helps users understand healthcare and wellness information in natural language, allowing residents to ask questions and receive accurate, AI-driven responses.
Through this integrated, AI-powered healthcare system, Abu Dhabi aims to transform predictive medicine into a cornerstone of its healthcare strategy, ensuring early detection, improved care, and a healthier population.