Digital Health Live, the world’s first interactive digital healthcare conference and exhibition, opened its doors to visitors and industry experts from around the world yesterday (May 5), in Dubai, UAE.

The event will run until May 7, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Engineer Essa Al Maidoor, director-general of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) attended the first-day of the digital healthcare event, said a statement by the event.

Al Maidoor was accompanied by the event’s organiser Dr Tamer Shahin, Nuviun’s CEO; Omran Al Hashemi, chief innovations officer and Erfan Al Hashemi, chief strategies officer, along with a number of high-ranking officials, it added.

During the tour, Al Maidoor experienced first-hand the future of healthcare technology, including the advanced digital home of tomorrow. He tried the smart mirror that can display body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and analyse one’s mood.  

He also tested the intelligent fridge that, depending on the ingredients present, can recommend recipes, offer calorie information, and also suggest what to eat according to dietary requirements, as well as warning the user when they are running low on certain ingredients, further said a statement.

Displaying the broader implications of digital healthcare on the nation’s healthcare infrastructure and societal benefits, the expo also showcases technologies in Digital Hospitals and Digital Cities.  

The large-scale impact of health technologies can have far-reaching benefits for citizens and healthcare systems. Digital healthcare encourages different technologies to talk to one another, driving continuity of care, reducing care gaps and ensuring preventative care is initiated earlier.

Key speakers for the three day conference include: Dr Mohammad Al Redha, president of Emirates Health Informatics Society; Daniel Whitehead, director medical strategy at the Abu Dhabi National Health Insurance Company – Daman; John Nosta, president Nostalab, GoogleHealth advisory board member; John Sculley, former CEO Apple and Pepsi; Neil Jordan, worldwide general manager, Health Industry at Microsoft; and Daniel Kraft, faculty chair, Medicine at Singularity University.

Speaking at the event, that is aimed to be a platform to spur a digital health revelation in the UAE, Al Maidoor, said: “The event marks a major milestone for the UAE, positioning us at the forefront of healthcare innovation in the region.”

“The joint collaboration allows us to not only experience new technologies, but also to talk candidly with healthcare and IT leaders on the real issues affecting our society and healthcare systems,” he said.

Dr Shahin said: “The benefit of digital healthcare and medical tourism is two-fold. Advancement in technology in our home country helps in the growth of medical tourism and is beneficial for both residents and visitors as they have access to high level of healthcare services.”  - TradeArabia News Service