UAE: Patient records of 80% public, private hospitals on unified platform, says Minister

‘Riayati’ Digital healthcare platform connects the majority of UAE private and public hospitals, allowing patients to use their medical records across the emirates’ healthcare facilities.

While there may be some small clinics that have not yet uploaded all their patient’s files in the system, overall, the platform is almost per cent complete, said Health Minister Abdulrahman Al Owais.

He was addressing concerns by Federal National Council (FNC) member Madhheya Al Menhali about the lack of integration between the country’s public and private health systems.

The absence of access to patients’ history often leads to duplicated medical tests and increased healthcare costs, she said.

Minister Al Owais explained that efforts have been underway to address these challenges since the introduction of the Riayati Digital Healthcare Platform in 2022.

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The platform followed collaborative efforts of key UAE healthcare regulators since 2019, including Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DoH), which introduced the ‘Malaffi’ system; the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) with the ‘Nabidh’ platform; and the Ministry of Health and Prevention through Emirates Health Services ‘Wareed’ system.

“These systems consolidate medical records within their respective emirates, and since 2019, efforts have been made to integrate them under a unified framework,” he said.

Furthermore, a 2019 federal law mandated public and private healthcare entities to join a centralised system.

In 2020, Cabinet Resolution No. 32 further emphasised the unification process, enabling healthcare providers across Abu Dhabi and other emirates to access a centralised health record system, giving birth to the ‘Riayati’ platform.

Minister Al Owais assured the council that while the integration process faces challenges, significant progress has been made, and the system is nearing full implementation.

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