AMEINAH ALZEYOUDI (ABU DHABI)
Not long ago, a doctor might have relied on a patient's memory of his own medication list, or chased faxed discharge summaries in the middle of the night.
Now, the same doctor can pull up a patient's entire medical history from across the UAE in a few clicks. The UAE's investment in digital healthcare has changed how illness is diagnosed and prevented, physicians told Aletihad.
But they are also quick to point out that technology will not replace the judgment and the compassion a human doctor brings to the bedside.
"AI has earned its place in medicine, but in a specific role, and it's important to be honest about where that role ends," said Dr Bhanuprakash Kadaba, Specialist in Critical Care Medicine and Medical Director at Medeor Hospital, Dubai.
Dr Kadaba acknowledged how new-age tools can help healthcare teams move faster and get quick analyses of medical imaging, instantly identify abnormalities in lab results - especially during the hours "when human fatigue is real".
"We have been increasingly using it as a clinical decision support system when handling complex clinical situations," he told Aletihad.
Rakesh Kumar Gupta, Pulmonology Consultant and Medical Director at Lifecare Hospital, Musaffah, added that AI has essentially enabled early identification and triage of critical cases, allowing timely intervention and improved patient outcomes.
However, he stressed that decision-making still rests on physicians, and for many reasons. "Clinical management still requires empathy, contextual understanding, experience, and ethical judgment, qualities that remain uniquely human and essential for delivering patient-centered care."
Dr Kadaba said that AI may be able to see the data clearly; but "it doesn't see the patient". "The contextual judgment, combining the monitor, the exam, the family's report, and instinct, isn't something current systems replicate," he said.
Beyond AI, Dr Kadaba pointed to the UAE's integrated digital health ecosystem - platforms such as Riayati, Malaffi, NABIDH and Wareed - as having reshaped clinical practice in a more fundamental way, by giving doctors instant access to a patient's history across facilities.
"The biggest difference shows when a patient can't speak for themselves, which, in the ICU, is most of them. Within minutes, I can now see complete medication history, prior imaging, allergies, and recent labs across every facility they've visited in the UAE," he said.
Such access has proved especially valuable when patients move between hospitals or emirates, he added, preventing prescription errors and surfacing allergies that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Seeing Doctors Online
Telemedicine, both doctors agreed, has earned a defined role rather than a universal one.
Gupta said virtual consultations have expanded access to specialists and cut down on travel, particularly for vulnerable patients who need regular follow-up. But he was clear that in-person care remains essential for emergencies, surgical cases, and situations requiring a physical exam.
Dr Kadaba concurred: telemedicine works well for post-hospital follow-up and stable chronic conditions, but conditions like chest pain, sepsis, or altered consciousness still call for physical presence and immediate testing.
"A camera can't replicate capillary refills, breath sounds, or an abdominal exam," he pointed out. "Controlled substance prescribing rightly still requires an in-person assessment."
The Next Shift
As healthcare goes more digital, Gupta said, public trust will depend on how well patient data is protected. He pointed to role-based access controls, audit trails, and secure UAE-based cloud infrastructure as key measures.
"Equally important are strong federal health data privacy regulations that promote informed consent, ensure transparency in data sharing, and safeguard patient confidentiality."
Gupta believes the next shift will be toward predictive and personalised medicine. Healthcare is shifting from treating disease to predicting and preventing it, he said, pointing to the UAE National Genome Strategy as a driver of care tailored to each patient's genetic profile.
"With AI-assisted analytics and predictive healthcare models, medical professionals will be better equipped to identify health risks before disease develops," he said. In critical care, Dr Kadaba expects "every UAE ICU" to have AI-augmented decision support by 2031.
The hardest decisions, however, "will still rest with an accountable clinician", he said. "The UAE's real advantage is pairing bold regulations with fast innovation. If we hold onto clinical humility while scaling ambition, we won't just digitise healthcare; we'll improve it," Dr Kadaba said.