Dubai firm teams up with AI company to fight UAE healthcare fraud

Healthcare fraud costs the Middle East over $1 billion each year. Now a Dubai-based investment firm wants to use artificial intelligence to fight back.

Everest Health Investments has partnered with Mains Lab, a global AI company that analyzes insurance claims to spot fraud and waste. The collaboration brings Mains Lab's technology to the UAE market for the first time.

Mains Lab already operates across the Middle East, Europe, Latin America, and Africa. The company says its AI platform has helped insurers and healthcare payers save more than $1 billion worldwide.

How will it work?

Mains Lab's system uses real-time AI and machine learning to process huge amounts of claims data. The technology looks for patterns and flags suspicious activity that human reviewers might miss.

The platform helps insurers and third-party administrators in several ways:

• Detects anomalies in claims data automatically
• Flags potentially fraudulent claims before they're paid
• Provides better oversight of the entire claims process
• Reduces the time needed to investigate suspicious activity

Everest Health will act as Mains Lab's main partner in the UAE, working with insurers and healthcare organizations to implement the technology.

Why does it matter?

Healthcare costs are rising fast everywhere. The latest WTW Global Medical Trends Survey predicts medical costs will jump 10.3% in 2026, with fraud identified as a major driver in the Middle East and Africa.

The numbers are staggering. The US National Institutes of Health estimates fraud and abuse eat up 3-15% of global healthcare spending each year. Regional consultancy BADRI Management puts Middle East losses from health insurance fraud alone at over $1 billion annually.

"Healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse represent a material source of claims leakage in insurance systems worldwide," said Hatim Maskawala, Managing Director of Badri Management Consultancy. "As the UAE market continues to grow and mature, the ability to analyze large datasets using advanced analytics and artificial intelligence will become increasingly important."

The technology also works as a deterrent. When providers and patients know claims are being monitored closely, they're less likely to try fraudulent schemes.

The context

The UAE has built one of the region's most regulated insurance markets, but growth brings new challenges. As healthcare systems get more complex, traditional methods of catching fraud become less effective.

"The UAE has built one of the region's most well-regulated and progressive insurance markets," said Fareed Lutfi, Secretary General of the Emirates Insurance Federation. "As healthcare systems grow in scale and complexity, strengthening claims integrity and addressing fraud, waste, and abuse will remain an important priority."

Other Gulf countries are also implementing similar programs. The regional focus on improving efficiency and accountability in health insurance is growing.

Yury Kuvshinov, CEO of Mains Lab, said the company is excited to work in the UAE market. "Our AI-powered platform enables healthcare payers to detect irregularities with speed and precision, delivering measurable savings and stronger claims governance."

Everest Health plans to announce specific client partnerships and platform rollouts in the coming months.