Latest news with #SehaVirtualHospital
Arab News
20 hours ago
- Health
- Arab News
Smart tech aids lifesaving care for Hajj pilgrim
MAKKAH: A Moroccan pilgrim who had suffered a 'severe' heart attack was admitted to King Abdullah Medical City in Makkah, where she received 'urgent care supported by smartwatch technology and continuous virtual monitoring,' the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. The hospital, part of the Makkah Health Cluster, reported that the patient also suffered from chronic conditions including hypertension and diabetes. She 'underwent cardiac catheterization, during which a drug-eluting stent was placed in the left anterior descending artery,' the SPA reported. After stabilization, she was equipped with a smartwatch linked to the Seha Virtual Hospital system for remote monitoring, enabling her to complete her pilgrimage safely. Later, in Mina, the smartwatch detected abnormal readings as the patient experienced chest pain again, triggering an alert. The virtual care team directed her to Mina Al-Jisr Hospital, where she was evaluated and admitted for observation. Once stable, she was discharged with a treatment plan and continued virtual follow-up. This case 'illustrates the strength of Saudi Arabia's digital health infrastructure during Hajj and reflects the Ministry of Health's progress toward Vision 2030, prioritizing high-quality, smart healthcare for pilgrims,' the SPA wrote.
Arab Times
31-05-2025
- Health
- Arab Times
Digital medical consultation services now available 24/7 for Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia
JEDDAH, May 31: The Saudi Ministry of Health (MoH), through the Seha Virtual Hospital, has activated a comprehensive package of digital medical consultation services for pilgrims during this year's Hajj season. These services offer instant medical consultations around the clock via the unified number 937, the Sehaty app, and the X platform, available in seven languages. According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the instant consultation services support Arabic, English, French, Turkish, Persian, Urdu, and Indonesian. This linguistic diversity ensures effective and flexible communication with pilgrims from various nationalities. The service allows pilgrims to access audio, video, or text-based medical consultations, submit medical reports or test results, and receive electronic prescriptions when necessary. Pilgrims log in using their border registration number, enabling a seamless and comprehensive digital health experience. These digital health services are designed to facilitate easy access to healthcare anytime and anywhere, aligning with the Health Sector Transformation Program and the Serving Guests of God Program under Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. The initiatives aim to enhance quality of life and provide integrated, safe healthcare services for pilgrims. The Seha Virtual Hospital supports more than 300 permanent and temporary healthcare centers in Makkah and Madinah, as well as Hajj campaign headquarters, through its 'Consult Plus' service available in Arabic and English. This platform delivers immediate medical advice, aiding field personnel, expediting medical decision-making, and elevating the quality of care provided to pilgrims. These developments reflect the Saudi Ministry of Health's dedication to advancing digital health technologies and improving services for pilgrims. By leveraging modern technologies, the Ministry strives to ensure rapid response times and high-quality healthcare throughout the Hajj season, in line with the highest international standards.
Zawya
15-05-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Saudi Arabia accelerates global digital health leadership through innovations in virtual care
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia has marked new milestones in digital health at the MENA Telehealth and Virtual Care Expo, reinforcing its expanding role in global healthcare transformation. Hosted in Riyadh from 13-14 May 2025, the event convened government officials, industry leaders, and international health experts to explore the future of digitally enabled healthcare across the Middle East and beyond. Opening the event, Eng Mona Sahman AlSubaie, CEO of Seha Virtual Hospital, highlighted the Kingdom's leadership in building a future-ready healthcare model. 'We are redefining what is possible in modern healthcare in Saudi Arabia. By leveraging AI, telemedicine, and integrated platforms, we are expanding access to world-class care regardless of geography. Our participation in the MENA Telehealth and Virtual Care Expo reflects our commitment to innovation and global knowledge exchange. We are building a scalable, inclusive, and data-driven model of care that can inspire health systems worldwide.' In a leadership panel titled 'Virtual Healthcare Towards an Integrated Health Model', Dr Salem Baharoon, Deputy Minister of Health for Therapeutic Services, underscored how virtual care has evolved into a core pillar of healthcare delivery: 'A few years ago, we talked about virtual healthcare becoming a reality. What was once a luxury is now essential. Seha Virtual Hospital's potential is immense, and events like MENA Telehealth will continue to advance that progress. Our focus is on building trust through measurable results and success stories. Virtual care has proven its value—doctors are seeing more patients, and the stigma has been replaced by evidence. Virtual healthcare is no longer the future, it is the present.' Throughout the event, the Ministry of Health showcased Saudi Arabia's progress in integrating artificial intelligence into healthcare systems, launching regulatory sandboxes to fast-track innovation, and building global partnerships to shape the next era of virtual care. These efforts reflect the Kingdom's Vision 2030, the national roadmap for diversification and innovation, with healthcare transformation as a central priority. A featured keynote traced Seha Virtual Hospital's journey, now the world's largest virtual care platform. Connecting 224 hospitals across the country, it provides access to specialized medical consultations, Tele-ICU services, and AI-powered diagnostics, dramatically improving reach and efficiency, especially in remote regions. International participation included the World Health Organization, the International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth (ISfTeH), and the American Telemedicine Association. Sessions focused on ethical AI, equitable access, and cross-border collaboration in digital health. Saudi Arabia's digital health strategy is a cornerstone of its broader Vision 2030 goals. The Kingdom is focused on building a sustainable, inclusive healthcare system that meets the needs of both Saudi citizens and the global health community. The MENA Telehealth and Virtual Care Expo continues to be a key platform for knowledge exchange and partnership, strengthening Saudi Arabia's leadership in virtual care and digital innovation. For more information, please contact: Media@
Arab News
19-04-2025
- Health
- Arab News
AI-powered telemedicine reshapes Saudi healthcare landscape
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is fast positioning itself as a regional pioneer in artificial intelligence-driven healthcare, harnessing telemedicine and digital innovations to modernize its medical infrastructure and widen access to care —particularly in remote and underserved regions. Guided by its ambitious Vision 2030 agenda and bolstered by rising investments in digital health, the Kingdom is accelerating the deployment of AI technologies, fundamentally reshaping how healthcare is delivered, managed, and experienced. Vikas Kharbanda, partner and healthcare sector lead at Arthur D. Little Middle East, told Arab News that AI-driven telemedicine is allowing providers to move from reactive care to proactive health management, which is particularly important in remote areas where 'physical infrastructure is difficult and costly to develop and operate.' Historically, access to healthcare across the Arab world has been uneven, with rural populations often lacking access to specialized services. In Saudi Arabia, however, AI-enabled platforms are helping bridge these gaps by facilitating remote consultations, optimizing clinical workflows, and supporting early detection of disease. One of the Kingdom's flagship initiatives is the Seha Virtual Hospital, a fully digital facility that leverages AI for diagnostics and links medical specialists across various locations for real-time consultations. Kharbanda described Seha Virtual Hospital as 'a starting point of showcasing the full spectrum capabilities of what is possible with the convergence of digital capabilities into the healthcare environment.' 'With rapidly emerging capabilities for virtual consultations, e-ICU, digital prescriptions and dispensing workflows, AI-enabled diagnoses augmentation the program is starting to demonstrate the potential of what a virtual care delivery model can potentially achieve and the value it can create for a health system,' he said. Kharbanda added that the hospital 'has created a platform from which individual capabilities can be picked and diffused in the whole health system — commercializing the infrastructure capabilities from the public sector into the private sector could help diffuse these capabilities very rapidly into the whole system.' Another initiative is Nala, a digital platform that began using AI in 2022 to offer personalized care recommendations based on individual data. Nala integrates with wearables to monitor vital signs and flag potential health risks. In 2023, it was acquired by Integrative Health, a network of AI-led urgent care centers in the Kingdom. Tech-enabled outreach Telemedicine remains a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia's digital health strategy. Virtual consultations are helping to ease the burden on hospitals and clinics by enabling patients to connect with healthcare professionals remotely—eliminating the need for travel and streamlining access to specialized care. 'Telemedicine could be a major enabler for access and AI capabilities, especially focused on health risk assessments, enabling remote diagnosis, triaging capabilities and potentially bringing together the financing and care delivery model in a more systematic fashion could fundamentally shift the way health and care is managed today in the market,' Kharbanda added. Telemedicine could be a major enabler for access and AI capabilities, especially focused on health risk assessments, enabling remote diagnosis, triaging capabilities and potentially bringing together the financing and care delivery model in a more systematic fashion. Vikas Kharbanda, partner and healthcare sector lead at Arthur D. Little Middle East High smartphone penetration and widespread internet access have supported the uptake of these tools. Babylon Health, in partnership with Saudi Telecom Co., offers an AI-based app for symptom checking and consultations, while local platform Cura provides similar services with remote diagnosis and digital prescriptions. AI: the game changer Artificial intelligence is also being deployed to support clinical decision-making, personalize treatment plans, and deliver predictive insights that can improve patient care. Hospitals across Saudi Arabia are increasingly incorporating machine learning to optimize operations and enhance health outcomes. According to a report by GlobalData, AI-powered monitoring systems are now in use in many healthcare facilities across the Kingdom. These systems utilize real-time analytics and sensor technologies to boost patient safety and alleviate staffing pressures—offering a glimpse into how smart technology is reshaping the day-to-day realities of clinical care. 'Most responsible AI-powered telemedicine solutions are developed as clinically assistive tools,' said Hannah Gibson, director of UK and global partners at Visiba. 'Triage in-person consultations may not always be necessary and if they are, should be more efficient.' Still, the development of benchmarking tools to evaluate AI systems remains limited. 'It takes a significant amount of time and resources for companies to create reliable benchmarking tests for research and development purposes,' said James Tapscott, senior manager of innovation and legal technology at Addleshaw Goddard. He referenced findings from a report by Addleshaw Goddard, which showed that specific AI-powered retrieval techniques boosted the accuracy of commercial contract reviews from 74 percent to an average of 95 percent. Highlighting broader applications of artificial intelligence, he noted that in certain scenarios, AI models can deliver more concise responses than human counterparts—without compromising on accuracy. 'When it comes to telemedicine, it may be that a more concise, easily understandable answer is preferred … it may be surprising to your readers to see how well these models perform compared to humans,' Tapscott added. Kellie Blyth, partner in commercial at Addleshaw Goddard, said image analysis is one of the most common applications. 'The most prevalent use of AI we are seeing in the market is to analyze medical images such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. Many of these solutions can detect anomalies and diseases with an extraordinarily high degree of accuracy, often at earlier stages than previously thought possible.' Kharbanda said AI could help improve efficiency in outpatient consultations by at least 20 percent, while also easing bottlenecks in emergency and surgical departments. Investment trends Saudi Arabia's digital health sector is experiencing rapid expansion, driven by both public and private investments. A study by BlueWeave Consulting estimated the country's digital health market size at $3.2 billion in 2024, with projections indicating a compound annual growth rate of 21.3 percent through 2031, reaching $13.3 billion. Kharbanda said there is a shift in investment focus toward 'AI-driven diagnostics, augmented care delivery, and supporting the provider-payer system in understanding health risks and funding structures to optimize health outcomes.' The most prevalent use of AI we are seeing in the market is to analyze medical images such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. Many of these solutions can detect anomalies and diseases with an extraordinarily high degree of accuracy, often at earlier stages than previously thought possible. Kellie Blyth, partner in commercial at Addleshaw Goddard, said image analysis is one of the most common applications Tapscott noted that semi-autonomous AI, also known as agentic AI, could become more common in lower-risk areas such as elder care, offering adaptive solutions that help reduce costs and increase efficiency. Blyth pointed to the need for regulatory clarity, particularly around ethical use. She said frameworks should address 'algorithm vigilance,' which involves regular monitoring to minimize bias and ensure safe use in clinical settings. Looking ahead Saudi Arabia's digital health strategy continues to evolve, with future developments likely to include greater use of wearables, predictive modeling, and AI-assisted diagnostics. Blyth said a major step forward will be the national biobank overseen by the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center. 'The real advances in telemedicine will come at the state level with the establishment of the national biobank,' she said, which will serve as a valuable resource of clinical data from the Saudi population. This will be further supported by computing infrastructure investments made through the Saudi Company for AI. Gibson said triage systems powered by AI could soon become a regular feature across healthcare facilities, helping to direct patients to the appropriate level of care from the beginning. As adoption grows, Saudi Arabia is developing a healthcare model that blends digital access with AI-backed insights, aimed at improving outcomes and supporting a more resilient health system.
Arab News
16-04-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Italian health minister explores key areas of cooperation during Riyadh visit
RIYADH: Italian Health Minister Orazio Schillaci met his Saudi counterpart Fahad Al-Jalajel and senior officials to explore key areas of medical excellence and ways to enhance bilateral cooperation, during an official visit to Riyadh on Wednesday. Schillaci told Arab News that there were prospects for collaboration with Saudi Arabia in the healthcare sector and in advanced medical technologies. 'During my visit to Riyadh I was able to appreciate the excellence of the Saudi healthcare system,' he said. 'I also had the opportunity to confirm Italy's willingness to explore avenues of collaboration in the healthcare sector and advanced medical technologies between our two countries, in the wake of the strategic partnership launched by our prime minister last January. 'Cooperation in projects regarding virtual hospitals and artificial intelligence tools applied to medicine is of particular interest to Italy,' Schillaci said. Saudi Arabia was known to be committed to developing its healthcare sector through sharing best practices with its main partners, such as Italy, he said, and by promoting the use of modern technologies, particularly in the pharmaceutical field. Several agreements between Italian and Saudi entities in the health sector had already been announced, he said. In addition to these existing agreements, Schillaci expressed an intention to further develop interactions between the two countries, including through the development of innovative technologies, telemedicine and antimicrobials. Schillaci underlined the importance of close collaboration with Saudi Arabia. 'Cooperation also through the exchange of experiences will allow the two countries to benefit from the potential available in terms of innovation and modern technologies, with the aim of offering an ever-improving medical service,' he said. During his Saudi trip, the minister visited several hospitals, appreciating, among other things, the technologies that were contributing to the medical progress of the country and offering excellent treatment for patients. Schillaci began his official visit to Riyadh with a meeting with Al-Jalajel on Monday. This was followed by visits to Seha Virtual Hospital, the National Health Command Center and meetings with the CEOs of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, National Unified Procurement Company, with Khaled Al-Kattan, dean of Alfaisal University's College of Medicine, with Dr. Bjorn Zoega, deputy chief executive officer, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, and with Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib, chairman of Sulaiman Al-Habib Group. Seha Virtual Hospital, using innovative technologies, supports 170 hospitals around the Kingdom, and provides 29 basic specialized health services, in addition to more than 73 sub-specialty services. The virtual hospital is one of the priority initiatives in the health sector transformation program under Saudi Vision 2030. The visit to KFSHRC aimed to explore key areas of medical excellence and gain insight into Saudi Arabia's expertise in advancing specialized health care services. The visit featured a comprehensive briefing on the KFSHRC Heart Center of Excellence and the Organ Transplant Center of Excellence, along with an overview of the latest technologies for treating complex cardiac conditions and performing minimally invasive robotic surgeries. The visit reflects the growing global interest in KFSHRC's pioneering model, which integrates clinical expertise with cutting-edge medical technologies, the hospital said in a press release. The hospital has achieved several milestones, including the world's first fully robotic heart transplant and the first fully robotic liver transplant, reinforcing its standing as a global reference in advanced specialized care.
