Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit Puts Longevity-First Healthcare in Focus
At the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit, there was a strong focus on extending healthy lifespans through forward-thinking strategies. Health experts and policymakers discussed the issues related to an aging population, with the WHO projecting that by 2050, there will be over 2 billion people aged 60 and older. Dr. Asma Al Mannaei from the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi presented a four-step approach: sense, predict, prevent, and personalize, highlighting the significance of precision medicine. Major initiatives include the Emirati Genome Programme (EGP) from 2019, which has documented over 800,000 genetic profiles, and Malaffi, also launched in 2019, which connects over 3,000 healthcare facilities and holds more than 4 billion records for 14 million patients. Al Mannaei aims for Abu Dhabi to lead globally in health systems focused on longevity.
Key facts
- The Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit focused on longevity-first healthcare, emphasizing prediction and prevention.
- The World Health Organization estimates that by 2050, over 2 billion people globally will be aged over 60.
- Dr Asma Al Mannaei is the executive director of the health life science sector at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.
- Abu Dhabi's health model follows four steps: sense, predict, prevent, and personalise.
- The Emirati Genome Programme (EGP) launched across the UAE in 2019 and has collected more than 800,000 records.
- EGP data revealed around 100 genetic factors associated with inherited vision loss in the Emirati population.
- Malaffi, launched in 2019 and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Data Services, connects over 3,000 healthcare facilities and holds over 4 billion records for more than 14 million patients.
- Al Mannaei hopes Abu Dhabi will be known as the place that proved a longevity-first health system works, serving as a blueprint for others.
Entities
Artists
- Dr Asma Al Mannaei
Institutions
- Department of Health – Abu Dhabi
- Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit
- Future Health platform
- World Health Organization
- Emirati Genome Programme
- Malaffi
- Abu Dhabi Health Data Services
Locations
- Abu Dhabi
- United Arab Emirates