Malaffi, the first Health Information Exchange (HIE) in the Middle East and North Africa and a strategic initiative of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, today announced its participation at HIMSS23 Global Conference and Exhibition in Chicago, USA. Malaffi has been selected for the third consecutive year to present at the annual conference, which runs from April 17-21 this year.

With HIMSS one of the most important global meetings for the digital healthcare industry, the participation of Abu Dhabi at the conference reflects the visionary strides the emirate is making in the area of digital transformation in healthcare.

Robert Denson, Acting Chief Executive Officer and Dr Sanji de Sylva, Vice President of Clinical Engagement and Informatics at Malaffi, will deliver an education session titled ‘Transforming Healthcare in Abu Dhabi: Implementing an HIE-wide Image Exchange,’ on April 20. As part of the technology and interoperability track, the presentation will discuss the journey to implement an Image Exchange Solution as the latest advancement of the HIE platform and one that few select HIEs boast of globally. The solution offers Abu Dhabi physicians access to their patient’s diagnostic images from different health organisations and therefore reduces duplication, cost, and unnecessary radiation, while improving decision-making and patient outcomes.

Robert Denson shared: “Since its launch in 2019, Malaffi has connected almost the entire sector in Abu Dhabi. Adding to our centralised database that links more than 2,500 private and public healthcare facilities, the Image Exchange Solution enables the sharing of medical images and supports physicians in Abu Dhabi to work in alignment, irrespective of their location. We are excited to return to the HIMSS global conference and share the experience of implementing this significant advancement to the Malaffi platform. HIMSS is the ideal environment to explore cutting-edge solutions that are optimising the delivery of modern healthcare and we are delighted to contribute to the global knowledge,”.

Visitors to HIMSS23 will have the opportunity to see the Image Exchange Solution in action at a panel discussion on April 18, also featuring Dr De Sylva and Denson hosted at the booth of Philips, who provided the solution together with EMITAC as the local implementation partner.

Marc Antoine Zora, General Manager, Philips Gulf & Levant said: “At Philips, we believe that advanced technologies have the power to enhance patient-centric care that improves people’s lives. Indeed, our latest research in the UAE has highlighted that one of the four top factors making it easier for people to focus on their health is doctors having access to their information, regardless of the facility they visit. We are proud to provide a solution that enables a seamless exchange of diagnostic images in Abu Dhabi, together with the DOH and Malaffi, enabling radiologists and clinicians to reach the best possible diagnosis and outcomes for the patient, while lowering costs and improving the patient and caregiver experience. We are very proud that this successful implementation with our partners is being showcased at the global digital health stage at HIMSS23.”

Malaffi’s participation at HIMSS23 is a testament of the concerted efforts to provide world-class healthcare to Abu Dhabi’s residents. Their ultimate aim is to lead a transformation in the healthcare services paradigm – one that sees the current model of disease treatment and the patient as a passive recipient of care to one of disease prevention and empowered individuals, making informed choices.

Malaffi connects over 2,500 healthcare facilities offering healthcare services to more than three million people in the Emirate. 100% of Abu Dhabi-based hospitals, 99% of clinics and 99% of pharmacies in the emirate are connected to the platform. Through Malaffi, more than 45,000 authorised users have access to over 1.7 billion unique patient records in Abu Dhabi.