Back in 2020 when Covid-19 was declared a pandemic, one of the sectors it disrupted most across the world was traditional healthcare systems. Three years later, this trend continues. It is clear that the availability of digital health must be a matter of priority for the future. A lesson learnt during the peak of the pandemic was that even though patients did not have direct access to healthcare providers, they sought quality healthcare services.
As a result, today patients want more control over their health. They look for new tools and technology that give them insights into their well-being, even apart from their usual doctor’s appointments. In turn, healthcare entities are looking to meet this need. Aided by technology, many are finding ways to adapt and optimise. Health providers all over the world strive to maintain operational efficiency by innovating and introducing new ways of delivering solutions to people's medical problems.
Access to mobile apps has improved the digital healthcare space and even personalised it. Today, the advances in telemedicine have made it possible to book an appointment, video consult with a doctor, access health records, lab reports, appointment updates, order wellness products and medicines from online pharmacies and receive those medicines at home, all through an app.
These digital solutions have enabled healthcare providers to offer timely and effective interventions to patients across the world, shredding the myth that high-quality diagnosis and treatments cannot be provided through online interactions. However, even prior to the global health crisis, digital technologies were complementing operations and services across the healthcare landscape. Be it patient care and diagnostics, virtual collaboration, remote monitoring or task automation, innovation in health care helped reshape people's well-being and showcased how patient care could be effective yet scalable.
The availability of new medical solutions and engagement with patients via such interfaces has given rise to a new face of health care. For example, telehealth broadened the scope of patient care, supplementing on-site appointments. Wearable technology prompted remote monitoring by measuring health metrics. This has, in many cases, enabled timely medical interventions. Today smart watches also serve as diagnostic tools. They can help monitor vital parameters and deliver prompts on when to administer medication.
Thanks to this digitalisation, everyday care is easily manageable in short periods of time. Whether it is the management of chronic diseases or being able to call a doctor directly or concerning the delivery of medicines, the scope of health care has broadened. However, healthtech is not limited to patient-related services. It goes beyond that, covering elements such as electronic patient records, artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to identify larger health trends.
According to a report in the publication Deloitte Insights, digital health employs more than just technologies. It also views "radically interoperable data, AI, and open, secure platforms as central to the promise of more consumer-focused, prevention-oriented care." The use of technology has become integral to core operations in hospitals and clinics with the adoption of efficiency measures. A few examples of this are E-ICU models that were introduced during the peak of the pandemic and telemedicine consultations that gave wide access to medical care.
Future healthcare systems, bolstered by digital technologies, are likely to broaden the reach of patient care to one that is accessible, scalable and equitable – and promote prevention rather than cure. By instilling virtual care in the form of telehealth or shifting gears from resource-heavy clinical environments to networked settings, digitalisation will make health care easy.
As we continue to move into an increasingly digitised world, teleconsultation will become normal, widening access to care. In the decade to come, we shall witness a paradigm shift in the system not only in terms of care but also evolving digital technologies. Algorithms will give us insights into diagnostics, treatment practices and patient outcomes.
The right application of digital technology and its ease of use will bring a powerful change to health care, and for the better. Having a holistic view of a patient, where a medical provider looks at the history of a patient rather than intervening only episodically, is of utmost importance. This is where an integrated approach becomes critical in the future of health care.
While healthcare delivery and information are now available on all smart phones, true change will come from those who are seeking medical attention. Improvement in health care rests on how patients or health seekers respond to the tools and technologies available. Health truly is in our hands, literally and metaphorically.
FIGHT CARD
Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)
Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
The biog
Name: Mohammed Imtiaz
From: Gujranwala, Pakistan
Arrived in the UAE: 1976
Favourite clothes to make: Suit
Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test India won by innings and 53 runs at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
'The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure'
Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, Penguin Randomhouse
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
