Abu Dhabi’s Malaffi hits 3.5 billion clinical records

Abu Dhabi's flagship health data network, Malaffi, has just hit a staggering milestone — 3.5 billion clinical records, woven together from 12.7 million patient profiles. This isn't just a trophy number. It's a living, breathing pulse of the emirate's healthcare system, carrying the promise of sharper diagnoses, smarter treatment plans, and a serious leap forward in precision and preventive care.

As the region's first Health Information Exchange (HIE) platform, Malaffi is more than infrastructure — it's a backbone for Abu Dhabi's vision of becoming a global leader in patient-centric healthcare.

How does it work?

Malaffi functions like the central nervous system of Abu Dhabi's healthcare landscape. Nearly every hospital, clinic, and pharmacy — 3,072 facilities in total — feeds into it. Here's what's under the hood:

• Massive network reach: 53,476 authorised users, from doctors to allied health professionals, accessing real-time patient data.
• Genetic insights: Over 160,000 M42 Pharmacogenomics Reports — decoding how individual patients respond to medications, so prescriptions aren't just standard, they're tailored.
• Specialised diagnostics: New test results now cover mental health, ophthalmology, ENT, and respiratory care, giving clinicians a fuller picture.
• Radiology Image Exchange: X-rays and scans from over 60 facilities, instantly available to any authorised user.
• AI-powered risk profiling: Predictive analytics to flag potential chronic or acute health issues before they spiral.

The magic lies in how it all fits together — one secure, seamless feed of information that empowers clinicians to make better decisions, faster.

Why does it matter?

In healthcare, speed and accuracy aren't luxuries — they're lifelines. By connecting 3.5 billion records, Malaffi removes the silos that once slowed treatment, replacing guesswork with data-backed certainty. Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi, calls this "a pivotal milestone" and points to AI-driven solutions like pharmacogenomics and predictive analytics as game-changers in care delivery. Kareem Shaheen, CEO of M42's Digital Health Solutions, puts it bluntly: "Malaffi is securely connecting critical patient information with clinicians to enable informed decision-making, elevate healthcare standards and deliver quality patient outcomes."

In practice, that means fewer delays, fewer medical errors, and a healthcare system capable of catching potential problems early. It also lays the groundwork for cutting-edge research — from AI models trained on real-world data to clinical studies that demand large, reliable datasets.

The context

Launched as a strategic initiative of the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi, and operated by M42's Abu Dhabi Health Data Services, Malaffi has been steadily expanding its reach and sophistication. It's part of a broader UAE healthcare strategy that blends technology, data, and human expertise to build what leaders describe as "the world's most intelligent, patient-centric healthcare system."

The UAE has been investing heavily in AI and digital infrastructure, and Malaffi is a prime example of why. It's not just about digitising records — it's about turning raw data into actionable insights, accessible anytime, anywhere, by the right people. In a region where population growth, chronic conditions, and global health risks are on the rise, that capability isn't just nice to have — it's essential.