Ahmed Al-Khadeem, the director of Fujairah Hospital, emphasized the commitment to fostering a smart environment that utilizes data and knowledge as strategic tools for informed decision-making. This approach provides national talents with unique opportunities to develop innovative solutions that enhance patient experiences and improve the community’s quality of life.
This statement was made during the inaugural edition of the Artificial Intelligence Forum organized by Fujairah Hospital, part of the UAE Health Services Foundation, under the theme “Empowering Minds, Elevating Society.” This initiative reflects the foundation’s dedication to accelerating the adoption of smart technologies in healthcare and includes panel discussions addressing the role of artificial intelligence in treating heart diseases.
The forum also delved into the ethical and legal frameworks surrounding smart applications, future directions for empowering national competencies, and featured an exhibition on digital projects in the healthcare sector.
Al-Khadeem pointed out that the forum embodies the nation’s vision of achieving the UAE’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031, where smart technologies are essential pillars of sustainable development.
Dr. Thaer Khazim, a consultant in cardiology and interventional cardiologist, highlighted the effectiveness of artificial intelligence in saving lives during the forum. He shared a success story from Fujairah Hospital where the medical team managed to revive a patient who suffered a cardiac arrest for 40 minutes after a severe heart attack.
He confirmed that AI technologies facilitated the diagnosis of complete blockage in the right artery using a precise camera during catheterization, enabling them to accurately place a heart stent.
He noted that artificial intelligence has revolutionized diagnostic accuracy, allowing for improved testing and enabling physicians to predict the heart’s pumping capacity while detecting heart disorders such as irregular rhythms. Moreover, it provided comprehensive analysis of arteries instead of focusing on limited sections, enhancing prevention strategies against recurrent heart attacks.
Dr. Asma Khamas, a consultant in interventional breast radiology and head of the radiology and nuclear medicine department at the hospital, stated that integrating AI technologies into healthcare systems has become a strategic step towards improving service quality and efficiency.
Khamas discussed the significance of advanced algorithms used in medical image analysis, noting their contribution to increased diagnostic accuracy and speed, which has significantly reduced medical errors. She added that artificial intelligence has become a cornerstone in the development of medical imaging and radiology services, representing a qualitative leap in healthcare delivery.
She revealed that Fujairah Hospital has established a roadmap for adopting AI technologies, including early detection of breast cancer since 2020, which raised accuracy from 85% to 98%, and reduced the diagnosis period from 14 days to just 5 days. Additionally, it decreased the recall rate after exams from 10% to 4%, leading to the early identification of 125 first-stage breast cancer cases in 2024.
Furthermore, the early detection of lung diseases and tuberculosis was initiated through preventative health centers in 2021, increasing diagnostic accuracy to 99% and shortening the diagnosis time from 72 hours to under 10 hours. This initiative has contributed to isolating infected individuals and preventing the spread of infection, with 2,294 tuberculosis cases diagnosed in 2024.