• Having access to radiology images from previous visits will reduce the need to duplicate expensive and invasive radiology interventions, safeguarding the patients from unnecessary radiation as well as reducing time-consuming administrative tasks and cost
  • Significantly contributes to a holistic view of patient records to enhance the delivery of better-quality healthcare and patient outcomes
  • Malaffi expects to provide access to over two million radiology images annually, contributed by more than 60 sites once they are connected through a phased approach
  • Patients will no longer need to carry copies with them to each appointment

Abu Dhabi: Malaffi, the region’s first Health Information Exchange (HIE) platform and strategic initiative of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), announced the launch of an image exchange solution, providing authorised clinicians secure access to radiology and diagnostic images as part of patients’ records in Malaffi. Ultimately, following a phased approach, two million radiology images from over 60 different healthcare sites across Abu Dhabi will be available through the exchange, including X-Rays, CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasound images.

Reiterating the Emirate’s position as a leader in healthcare, the availability of radiology images in Malaffi will ensure that providers have a holistic view of a patient’s records and are able to review and compare images from different visits and different timeframes. Image sharing between healthcare providers is an essential element of the clinical workflow – further solidifying an agile and robust healthcare infrastructure in Abu Dhabi. The time and effort spent retrieving radiology and diagnostic images from disparate systems poses a significant burden on patients and healthcare providers. A recent Malaffi users’ survey revealed that 90% of the clinicians agreed that it is very important for them to have access to the full archive of radiology images.

Secure access to radiology images is essential for clinicians to make better decisions to improve the delivery of high-quality, informed and effective patient care. It also reduces the need to duplicate expensive and invasive radiology investigations, which safeguards the patients from unnecessary radiation as well as reduces time and cost.  Once all sites are connected, patients will no longer need to take hard copy scans and CDs to each appointment. Access to images is particularly important for surgeons, gynaecologists and obstetricians, internal medicine specialists and cancer care teams to have one holistic view of a patient’s medical history from appointments at multiple facilities.

Reem Hospital and nine hospitals part of NMC Healthcare are already connected and are sharing radiology images. These will be seamlessly available to all physicians that are authorised to use Malaffi, in addition to the written radiology reports that are already available in the platform.

H.E. Dr. Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) said: “As we focus our efforts towards ensuring the availability of seamless operations across the sector, we are proud to witness the addition of another resourceful solution to Malaffi. The introduction of image exchange solution to the Malaffi Provider Portal will heavily contribute to the continuous development of a robust and fully digitalised healthcare sector in the Emirate. The availability of a unified viewing environment presents tremendous benefits to all stakeholders and resources across our ecosystem. This milestone reflects Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading destination for innovation and healthcare and everything in between.”

Robert Denson, Acting CEO at Malaffi said: “Ensuring that radiology images are part of the exchanged information is the latest string to Malaffi’s bow and part of our continuous efforts to improve the scope and clinical value of Malaffi and to offer a holistic view of patient records. As the first regional HIE, this innovative concept has further enhanced the position of Malaffi on the global map of most advanced HIEs. It was critical that we addressed these requirements to further add value to Malaffi’s users as it will significantly improve efficiency and smart use of expensive resources, enhancing the quality of care and patient outcomes and experiences.

Mark Adams, Interim CEO at NMC Healthcare said, “NMC Healthcare was one of the first groups to connect with Malaffi three years ago. Clinicians across more than 20 NMC facilities in Abu Dhabi have witnessed its value and benefits, helping with more accurate diagnosis and easier access to patients’ information. Medical imaging forms the bedrock of diagnosis, and with the addition of the image exchange solution Malaffi has taken further steps towards offering a comprehensive and holistic digital health ecosystem. When physicians share medical images, they can build better and deeper referral networks and more accurate diagnosis, increase efficiencies, save clinical time and track patient progress through their treatment journey. Thankfully, this is now available through Malaffi across Abu Dhabi.”

Naushad Mohammed, Director of IT at Reem Hospital said: “We are delighted to be among the first healthcare facilities to contribute to the image exchange solution provided by Malaffi. The implementation of world-class clinical care pathways is critical as we strive to become a leading and trusted hospital in the UAE. Our rehabilitation and multi-specialty hospital is dedicated to implementing avant-garde medical practices that are supported by advanced and cutting-edge technologies such as an image exchange solution. In doing so, we are also meeting the government’s agenda of gaining patients’ trust and loyalty, as well as contributing to better patient outcomes.”

According to Persistence Market Research, medical image exchange systems are expected to be adopted globally at a significant pace over the coming years due to the growing adoption of IoT in the healthcare industry. The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DOH) is an early adopter of this technology that is leading this global shift.

-Ends-

About Department of Health (DOH)  

The Department of Health – (DOH) is the regulatory body of the Healthcare Sector at the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and ensures excellence in healthcare for the community by monitoring the health status of the population. DOH defines the strategy for the health system, monitors and analyses the health status of the population and performance of the system. In addition, DOH shapes the regulatory framework for the health system, inspects against regulations, enforce standards, and encourages adoption of world – class best practices and performance targets by all healthcare service providers in the Emirate. DOH also drives programs to increase awareness and adoption of healthy living standards among the residents of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in addition to regulating scope of services, premiums and reimbursement rates of the health system in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. For more information visit www.doh.gov.ae. 

For media inquiries: Mariam Al Marzooqi, Media Specialist, The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi 
email: msalmarzooqi@doh.gov.ae  

About Malaffi

Malaffi is the region’s first Health Information Exchange (HIE) platform, that safely and securely connects public and private healthcare providers in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Malaffi enables the meaningful, real-time exchange of important patient health information between healthcare providers, creating a centralised database of unified patient records to ultimately improve healthcare quality and patient outcomes.

Malaffi (Arabic for ‘my file’), is operated by Abu Dhabi Health Data Services - Sole Proprietorship LLC (ADHDS), established as Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DOH) and Injazat, a regional leader in digital transformation, cloud, and cyber security. As part of the DOH’s strategic priorities, Malaffi is a key component of the digital transformation of the healthcare system in Abu Dhabi.  

By providing instant access to the patient’s longitudinal medical file, Malaffi facilitates the making of better-informed and more efficient clinical decisions, enhances coordination and transition of care, reduces unnecessary duplication of tests and procedures, reduces the risk of medical error, and improves patient safety and experience. As a centralised database of robust population health information collated from nearly all patient episodes in the Emirate Malaffi informs and drives the DOH’s public health initiatives for a healthier Abu Dhabi. Malaffi has received the ISO 27001:2013 Certification (International Organization for Standardization) and accreditation by the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) for the Health Information Exchange Accreditation Program (HIEAP) – recognising excellence in data privacy and security best practices. Malaffi is the first HIE outside of the US to ever have been awarded HIEAP accreditation. 

By connecting 100% of hospitals and 99% of all patient episodes in Abu Dhabi in just three years, Malaffi is noted as of the fastest HIE rollouts in the world. 

For more information, please visit www.malaffi.ae.  

About NMC Healthcare

NMC is the largest integrated private healthcare platform in the UAE and the third largest in Oman. The company employs over 12,000 people and serves over 5.4 million patients' interactions annually through its extensive network of 12 hospitals, 54 community clinics, speciality care centres, and 1,200 in-patient hospital beds.

NMC’s integrated model has five core complementary business verticals with a diversified healthcare offering. NMC’s healthcare excellence is underpinned by strong local brands, presence and reach synonymous with delivering quality care across the full spectrum of healthcare services at each stage of a patient’s journey.

About Reem Hospital

Established in 2020 and with a capacity of over 200 beds, Reem Hospital is the first Post-acute Rehabilitation, and Multi-specialty Hospital built to provide quality and world-class care to patients throughout their recovery journey.

By onboarding best-in-class doctors and integrating renewed advanced technologies as well as AI tracking and programming systems, we aim to provide you access to the world’s best healthcare services, reducing your need to seek medical support abroad.

We are proudly operated by VAMED in partnership with Charité, one of the leading University Hospitals in Germany and Europe, with more than 300 years of experience in specialized pediatric care.