Researchers at Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, have published the Middle East’s first population-scale atlas showing how genetic variation regulates gene activity in blood. The work appeared in Nature Genetics under the title “A catalogue of transcriptome genetic regulation in a consanguineous Middle Eastern biobank.” It identifies nearly 30,000 causal regulatory effects and ties them to 20 clinical traits and disease pathways, including immune and metabolic function.

The team was led by Prof. Younes Mokrab, with Dr. Haroon Naeem as first author. They used data from nearly 2,000 Qatar Biobank participants.

How does it work?

The idea is simple to state. The genome is the blueprint, and the blood transcriptome shows which parts of that blueprint are being used. The team combined whole-genome sequencing, whole-blood transcriptomics and detailed clinical records for each participant.

They then went beyond ordinary association studies. Advanced computational methods let them separate variants that merely sit near a gene from those that cause changes in how it is transcribed. That distinction matters, because association alone rarely tells a clinician or a drug developer what to act on.

The study also looked at consanguinity, which is common in the region. Inheriting two copies of the same variant is best known as a driver of rare recessive diseases. The researchers showed it can also push specific genes to unusually high or low activity when the variants involved are regulatory. So the biological reach of consanguinity is wider than protein-altering mutations alone.

Why does it matter?

The practical gains are concrete. Better annotation of non-coding variants should raise the yield of genetic diagnosis, which is a persistent frustration when test results come back unclear. The data also support ancestry-aware polygenic scores, which estimate risk for complex diseases more accurately than scores built mainly on European cohorts.

There is a drug development angle too. Linking variants to their target genes helps prioritize biomarkers and therapeutic targets that are grounded in disease biology, which can improve the odds of clinical trial success.

Prof. Khalid Fakhro, Chief Research Officer at Sidra Medicine, put it plainly: precision medicine depends on population-matched reference databases. This study adds an RNA layer to the DNA resources Qatar has built over the years.

The context

Global genomics has long drawn its reference data from a narrow slice of humanity. Arab and Middle Eastern genomes remain thin in those databases, which means tools trained elsewhere can misjudge risk here. National programs across the GCC, from Qatar’s genome efforts to Saudi Arabia’s work under Vision 2030 and the UAE’s genomics initiatives, are trying to correct that imbalance. Qatar’s contribution is notable for pairing the data with a population where consanguinity is high.

The study drew on Qatar Biobank and the Qatar Genome Program, now part of the Qatar Precision Health Institute, with support from Sidra Medicine and the Qatar National Research Fund. The dataset is being enriched with more omics layers from the biobank and from disease cohorts at Sidra. The stated aim is to feed AI and machine learning models for disease prediction and treatment discovery.

That ambition is realistic only if the underlying data are good, and regionally representative data are exactly what has been missing. For health ministries and investors weighing genomic medicine, the message is that the reference infrastructure is starting to exist. The full paper is available in Nature Genetics.

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Sidra Medicine’s Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant teams announced the development at the close of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, confirming the successful administration of two anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody therapies: naxitamab (Danyelza) for the first time in the GCC, and dinutuximab beta (Qarziba) for the first time in Qatar. Both were given to young patients following stem cell transplantation.

Neuroblastoma is a cancer that originates in the nerve tissue of the sympathetic nervous system. It affects infants and very young children, and almost always appears before the age of five. High-risk cases are among the hardest to treat, with relapse rates that remain a serious concern even after intensive therapy.

The young patient at the center of Sidra’s first naxitamab case, Issa, was diagnosed at birth. His treatment at Sidra combined chemotherapy, autologous transplantation, and the new therapy. His father described the experience in terms that will be familiar to any family navigating a childhood cancer diagnosis. “This journey can be long and very difficult,” he said. “For us, optimism was an important part of going through it. A smile and emotional support for your child are essential for every stage of their treatment.”

How does it work?

Both naxitamab and dinutuximab beta target GD2, a molecule found on the surface of neuroblastoma cells. By binding to GD2, these monoclonal antibodies flag cancer cells for destruction by the patient’s immune system. They are typically used after stem cell transplantation, as part of a consolidation strategy aimed at eliminating any remaining disease and reducing the risk of relapse. The therapies require close coordination across medical, nursing, pharmacy, and surgical teams, and their introduction at Sidra involved extensive preparation before the first patient was treated.

Why does it matter?

Until now, families in Qatar and across the GCC facing a high-risk neuroblastoma diagnosis had limited access to these therapies locally. Traveling abroad for treatment is an option for some, but it places significant financial and emotional strain on families at an already difficult time. Bringing these treatments to Doha means that children can receive internationally recognized care close to home.

• Naxitamab is now available in the GCC for the first time, administered at Sidra Medicine
• Dinutuximab beta has been introduced in Qatar for the first time
• Both therapies were given post-stem cell transplant, consistent with international treatment protocols
• The program required cross-functional collaboration across oncology, pharmacy, nursing, and surgical teams

The context

Qatar’s National Vision 2030 places human development at its center, and healthcare is a core pillar of that agenda. Sidra Medicine, opened as a world-class women’s and children’s hospital, is a direct expression of that commitment. Across the Gulf, health ministries and sovereign health authorities are investing heavily in reducing medical tourism by building domestic capacity for complex, specialized care. Sidra’s ability to administer therapies that were previously unavailable anywhere in the GCC reflects exactly that direction of travel. Dr. Chiara Cugno, Acting Division Chief of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Sidra Medicine, said the introduction of these therapies reflects the hospital’s commitment to “continually advance pediatric cancer treatment and care as well as expanding access to specialized therapies for children and families in Qatar.” For the broader GCC health sector, the question now is whether other centers can follow a similar path, building the clinical infrastructure and expertise to bring more of these treatments within reach.

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Dounia Baroudi, currently in her first year of medical school, and Dr. Amal Alnaemi, who graduated in May 2026, presented the paper at the 24th International Conference on Informatics, Management, and Technology in Healthcare (ICIMTH), held in Athens. The paper has since been published in Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, a Scopus-indexed journal.

The project started as a challenge issued by Dr. Arfan Ahmed, assistant professor of research in population health sciences and director of wearable AI for precision health at WCM-Q, during a 2025 hackathon organized by the institution’s AI Center for Precision Health. Dr. Ahmed then mentored the pair through the process of turning that initial concept into a peer-reviewed publication.

How does it work?

WearAware combines three components to create a continuous cardiac monitoring loop outside clinical settings:

• A smart patch worn by the patient to capture ECG and other cardiac signals
• An AI-driven alert system that analyzes those signals in real time
• A clinician portal that allows healthcare providers to review data remotely

The system is designed to give patients advance warning when their cardiac readings suggest they should seek medical attention. Early ECG testing showed the AI component achieved 82.7 percent accuracy. The authors are clear that WearAware is a proof-of-concept and has not yet been clinically validated, but the published results justify further investigation.

Why does it matter?

Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of death across the Gulf region and globally. A significant number of cardiac events happen outside hospitals, where there is no monitoring equipment and no immediate clinical oversight. That gap in coverage is exactly what WearAware is trying to address.

So the clinical question is straightforward: if a wearable device can reliably flag early warning signs and prompt a patient to seek care before a major event, outcomes improve. And the research question is equally important: can AI models built by clinicians with domain knowledge, rather than dedicated data scientists, produce results that hold up to peer review? In this case, the answer appears to be yes.

Dr. Ahmed put it plainly: “AI has changed things completely. What once required in-depth coding and computer science expertise no longer does, and we now have medical students here in Qatar building their own AI models.”

The context

This research sits squarely within the broader push across the GCC to embed AI and digital health into healthcare delivery. Qatar’s National Vision 2030 places health innovation at the center of long-term development goals, and institutions like WCM-Q are a key part of that strategy. The UAE has made similar moves through its national AI strategy and health digitization programs, with remote monitoring and preventive care increasingly central to regional health policy.

But beyond policy, what this project illustrates is something more practical: medical students in the region are no longer passive recipients of clinical education. They are producing research that reaches international conferences and indexed journals. Dr. Alnaemi and Baroudi are named authors alongside Dr. Ahmed and Dr. Eniola Olaleye, an AI systems engineer at Cornell University in the United States. The full paper is available here.

That kind of early-career output, tied to a real clinical problem and mentored through to publication, is exactly the model that health systems across the Gulf will need if they are serious about building local AI capability in medicine rather than importing it.

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What’s the news?

The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) will hold its 8th edition in Doha on November 29 and 30, under the theme “The New Health Span.” Speaking to Qatar News Agency, Dr. Slama outlined the summit’s five core focus areas for 2025, each chosen to reflect what he described as the most pressing challenges and opportunities in global healthcare today.

Those five themes are:

• The Longevity Dividend: translating aging research into longer, healthier lives
• Financing the Cure: making advanced therapies such as gene treatments accessible and affordable
• AI and Human-Centred Health: responsible use of artificial intelligence in clinical and primary care settings
• The Future of Fertility: reproductive technologies and their ethical and legislative implications
• Health Diplomacy 2.0: strengthening international cooperation on health security

WISH has also announced a new partnership with the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI) Council to host an Innovation Exhibition during the summit, where AI and digital health tools will be shown in applied, practical settings. Existing partnerships with the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the University of Tokyo, Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health, and the Primary Health Care Corporation remain active.

Why does it matter?

The summit’s choice of themes reflects real pressure on health systems across the world, including in the Gulf. Aging populations, rising chronic disease rates, and unequal access to advanced care are not abstract concerns. In the GCC, governments are actively reshaping their health sectors, whether through Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 health privatisation agenda, the UAE’s digital health strategy, or Qatar’s broader push to build a knowledge-based economy through Qatar Foundation. WISH sits at the intersection of those ambitions and the global policy environment.

The AI and Human-Centred Health theme is particularly relevant right now. Health systems across the region are integrating AI into diagnostics, triage, and patient management. But governance frameworks, questions of accountability, and how to keep patients at the center of AI-driven care are still being worked out. A summit that produces clear, evidence-based recommendations on those questions has a real audience among regional policymakers and health administrators.

The context

Over seven editions, WISH has built research and policy networks connected to major international hubs including Geneva, New York, Nairobi, Cairo, and Manila. That reach positions Doha not simply as a meeting venue, but as a node in ongoing international health policy dialogue. Dr. Slama’s framing of WISH as a platform for “action and impact” rather than talk is consistent with Qatar’s broader diplomatic posture, which has long used multilateral engagement as a way to punch above its weight on global issues.

The 8th edition is expected to draw participants from governments, research institutions, healthcare providers, and innovation centres across Qatar and internationally. For professionals working at the intersection of health policy and emerging technology, November’s agenda in Doha is worth watching closely.

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Qatar Foundation’s global health initiative has announced that its eighth summit will take place on 29 and 30 November 2026 at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha, under the theme “The New Health Span”. The event will bring together leaders from healthcare, government, research, technology, the private sector, and civil society to examine how health is understood, delivered, and governed in an era of rapid demographic and technological change.

The New Health Span

The summit’s five pillars define the agenda clearly:

• The Longevity Dividend — how societies can support healthier aging and keep people active and connected for longer
• Financing the Cure — the financing models needed to make breakthrough therapies accessible and sustainable
• AI and Human-Centered Health — how artificial intelligence can strengthen health systems while protecting trust and accountability
• Future of Fertility — emerging scientific advances alongside the ethical and regulatory questions they raise
• Health Diplomacy 2.0 — how countries cooperate on health amid conflict, climate pressure, migration, and supply chain disruptions

Dr Slim Slama, CEO of WISH, put it plainly: “The question at the heart of WISH 2026 is simple, but deeply consequential: how do we help people live not only longer lives, but better ones?” He added that no single country or sector can answer that question alone, and that WISH exists to bring evidence, experience, and ideas together in one place, with the seriousness the challenge demands.

Why does it matter?

For health systems across the GCC, this is not a distant concern. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has placed preventive health and healthy aging at the center of its national health strategy, with targets to increase healthy life expectancy and reduce the burden of chronic disease. The UAE has made similar commitments through its national health agenda, investing in AI-driven diagnostics, genomics, and long-term care infrastructure. Qatar itself is expanding its health system ahead of a growing and aging population.

But the harder truth is that health system design across the region, like much of the world, was built around acute care. Managing a chronic, aging population over decades requires different thinking: different financing, different workforce models, different technology, and different community infrastructure. WISH 2026 is one of the few forums where those conversations happen across geographies and disciplines at once.

The inclusion of Health Diplomacy 2.0 as a pillar also reflects where the region sits geographically and politically. Supply chain vulnerabilities exposed during COVID-19, ongoing pressures from climate and migration, and the need for cross-border cooperation on disease surveillance all remain live issues across the Arab world.

The context

WISH has been running since 2012 and has built a record of policy-focused research and international convening over more than a decade. Its value has always been in the breadth of participants it draws: not just wealthy health systems with mature infrastructure, but also countries where innovation is urgently needed but often reaches people last. That tension, between where health innovation is produced and where it is most needed, runs through all five pillars of the 2026 agenda.

Registration for WISH 2026 is open now at wish.org.qa.

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Under the agreement, expectant parents receiving maternity care at The Pearl International Hospital will now be able to store their newborn’s umbilical cord blood with Sidra Medicine. The hospital was already delivering births. It can now offer families a direct route to cord blood banking as part of that same care journey. Sidra Medicine collects, processes, and stores the samples at its specialist Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility, which houses Qatar’s only Cord Blood Bank.

Prof. Khalid Fakhro, Chief Research Officer at Sidra Medicine, said the agreement extends access to a service that matters. “By making clinical-grade cord blood and tissue banking services available to families receiving maternity care at The Pearl International Hospital, we are providing them with the information and support they need to make informed decisions about preserving these valuable biological resources,” he said.

Dr. Cem Emir Guldogan, Chief Medical Officer at The Pearl International Hospital, described the partnership as an important step in the hospital’s broader commitment to raising healthcare standards in Qatar, aligning with international best practices while reflecting the values of the local community.

How does it work?

The collection process is painless and carries no risk to mother or child. After the umbilical cord is clamped and cut, cord blood is drawn from the cord, a procedure that takes only a few minutes. Sidra Medicine’s team then processes and stores the sample at the GMP facility in Doha.

Cord blood is rich in stem cells, which are used today to treat a range of blood, immune, and genetic disorders. Research is also exploring their potential in regenerative medicine, including conditions such as cerebral palsy, autism, and type 1 diabetes. Registered families can access the stored stem cells for future treatment of their child and, in some cases, extended family members. Sidra Medicine can also arrange transfer of stem cells to authorised centres in other countries if required.

Beyond cord blood, the same GMP facility prepares bone marrow stem cells for transplantation and produces advanced cell and gene therapy products for paediatric patients treated at Sidra Medicine.

Why does it matter?

Qatar currently has just one cord blood bank, and it sits inside Sidra Medicine. For families who want to store cord blood locally, there is no alternative. That means every new clinical partnership Sidra Medicine signs directly expands the population that can access the service.

Keeping samples in-country also has practical advantages:

• Samples remain under local regulatory oversight, which supports quality control
• Access in a medical emergency does not depend on international logistics or transit delays
• Families deal with a single, locally accountable institution rather than an overseas commercial provider

For The Pearl International Hospital, the agreement adds a clinically meaningful service to its maternity offering. And for expectant parents in Qatar, it widens the choice that was previously only available through hospitals already partnered with Sidra Medicine.

The context

This is the second such agreement Sidra Medicine has announced in quick succession. In August 2026, a similar deal was signed with The View Hospital. The pattern suggests a deliberate strategy to build a network of partner hospitals around the cord blood bank, rather than limiting access to Sidra Medicine’s own maternity unit.

That approach fits the wider direction of healthcare development across the Gulf. Qatar’s National Health Strategy, like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 health pillar and the UAE’s push to become a regional medical hub, places a premium on building specialised services domestically and reducing dependence on overseas care. A nationally managed cord blood bank, steadily expanding its reach through hospital partnerships, is a concrete example of that logic in practice.

For more information on Sidra Medicine’s cord blood banking services, visit www.sidra.org.

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The platform launched publicly in August after operating quietly across Saudi Arabia and Qatar since earlier in the summer, where it has already been used by thousands of people researching aesthetic and plastic surgery procedures. It answers questions in Arabic, accounts for dialect differences across the Gulf, and does not push users toward any particular provider or outcome. The decision stays with the patient. Zaina just makes sure they arrive at it better prepared.

“A purchase ends at the counter. This one stays with you,” said Eng. Fernando Rojas, Head of Health Ventures and Managing Partner GCC at The Agile Monkeys. “The smartest thing anyone can do is walk into that consultation already understanding what they are asking about. Explaining something this complex, in Arabic, at whatever hour someone is thinking about it, was not possible until very recently. It is now.”

How does it work?

Zaina operates as a conversational assistant, meaning users interact with it the way they would a knowledgeable contact rather than a search engine. It is built to explain:

• How different procedural approaches compare across providers
• What recovery genuinely involves, not the sanitised version
• Which questions are worth raising in a clinical consultation
• The range of outcomes associated with specific procedures

The platform handles Arabic-language input and is built to recognise dialectal variation across the GCC, which matters in a region where a formal Modern Standard Arabic interface can feel cold or inaccessible to everyday users. Rojas was direct about where the real difficulty lies: “The model is the easy part. Making it work inside a regulated field, safely, every day, is the serious part.”

Why does it matter?

Better-informed patients are not just good for patients. Clinics that compete on clinical quality rather than marketing budgets benefit when someone arrives at a consultation already understanding the procedure, the alternatives, and the realistic outcomes. That shifts the conversation from persuasion to evaluation, which is where it should start.

So there is a commercial logic here alongside the patient safety argument. Providers who rely on substance over advertising spend are naturally advantaged when the person across the desk already knows what questions to ask. Zaina does not refer patients to clinics, which keeps its position neutral and its advice credible.

The context

The Agile Monkeys is a Spanish AI engineering firm that builds products for regulated industries, including health, retail, and financial services, across Europe, the United States, and the Gulf. Its expansion into aesthetic medicine reflects a broader pattern across the GCC, where Vision 2030 in Saudi Arabia and parallel digital health strategies in the UAE are creating real appetite for AI-backed patient engagement tools.

Aesthetic medicine is a sector that has largely been left out of that conversation, treated as adjacent to healthcare rather than part of it. But the procedures involved carry genuine clinical risk and the decisions are permanent. Closing the information gap in Arabic, in a region where the market for aesthetic procedures is growing fast, addresses something that has been overlooked for a long time.

The company has confirmed plans to expand into Dubai in the fourth quarter of 2026.

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How does it work?

The service is accessed through the MoPH website. Users log in via the National Authentication System, submit their application, and attach the required documents. The most important of these is a valid prescription. Once submitted, the application is reviewed by the ministry’s Department of Pharmacy and Drug Control, and the permit is issued in line with approved regulatory requirements.

Approved or rejected within three working days once all documentation is in order, the permit is delivered electronically. The ministry recommends applying at least five working days before departure to avoid any pressure at the airport. Travellers can also track the status of their application through the same platform.

For anyone unsure whether their medication falls within scope, MoPH has published a guidance booklet that explains how to use the service, what documents are needed, and how to apply. It also includes the full list of controlled medicines covered by the system.

Why does it matter?

The previous process required in-person counter visits and physical paperwork. That friction, while manageable for some, created real difficulty for frequent travellers, expatriates managing chronic conditions, or anyone whose travel plans changed at short notice. This system removes that barrier entirely.

But the value here goes beyond convenience. By digitising the permit process, MoPH maintains pharmaceutical oversight while reducing the administrative load on both travellers and ministry staff. The ministry has described the system as a mechanism that allows travellers to meet legal and health requirements before departure, while strengthening oversight to protect public health. Those two goals are not always easy to balance. This approach manages both.

• Apply in advance through the MoPH website
• Log in using the National Authentication System
• Submit required documents, including a valid prescription
• Receive decision within three working days
• Permit delivered electronically, no counter visit needed

The context

The launch sits within Qatar’s National Health Strategy, specifically its goal of building a more efficient and resilient health system. One of the strategy’s key outcomes is a highly efficient digital health system, and this permit service is a concrete step in that direction.

Across the GCC, health ministries are under pressure to modernise administrative processes that have long depended on physical presence and paper trails. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 health reforms, the UAE’s investment in digital health infrastructure, and Qatar’s own National Health Strategy all point in the same direction: public services that work at the speed and convenience citizens and residents now expect.

Qatar’s use of the National Authentication System as the login mechanism also reflects a broader commitment to building integrated, secure digital government services rather than standalone portals that require separate credentials. It’s a small detail, but it signals a joined-up approach to digital infrastructure.

For healthcare professionals advising patients who travel regularly, the practical message is straightforward. If a patient is on a controlled medicine and plans to travel through or out of Qatar, they should apply online at least five working days before departure. The guidance booklet, available through the MoPH website, covers the full list of medicines and exactly what is required. There is no reason to arrive at the airport without a permit in hand.

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The materials target children aged 6 to 14 and were originally developed as part of an interactive mobile game designed to introduce the basics of genetics in an accessible, age-appropriate way. The game was tested at Qatar Academy, a Qatar Foundation school, before the broader educational ecosystem was built around it.

That ecosystem has grown considerably. What began as a mobile application has become a structured teaching toolkit, and it is this expanded collection that is now live on Manara.

How does it work?

The open-access collection published on Manara includes two main content types:

• Bilingual educational magazines available in both Arabic and English, featuring short stories that connect genome science to everyday life, alongside interactive games that introduce core terminology
• Animated educational episodes produced in Arabic and English, using characters from the original game, including Dana, Hamad, and the Professor, to explain genetic concepts through short animated stories

By hosting the files on Manara, each item receives a permanent digital object identifier, or DOI. That means the materials are citable, indexed, and preserved for long-term academic and public use. The mobile game itself remains available separately on the Apple Store and Google Play in both languages.

Why does it matter?

Dima Darwish, Education and Training Manager at QPHI, put it plainly: “Our mission at QPHI extends beyond the laboratory. Partnering with Qatar National Library allows us to transcend geographical boundaries. It transforms our localised success into a permanent, global public good where anyone, anywhere, can access this foundational knowledge.”

That framing matters. Precision medicine as a field is only useful if future clinicians, researchers, and policymakers understand what it is. Building that understanding has to start early, and it has to start in schools. Arabic-language genomics education at this level is still relatively rare, which makes the bilingual format a practical contribution, not just a symbolic one.

For educators and parents in countries where genomics is not yet part of the standard curriculum, freely available, professionally produced, and peer-tested materials are genuinely hard to come by. This fills a real gap.

The context

The move fits neatly within Qatar National Vision 2030, which sets out a clear ambition to shift Qatar’s economy toward knowledge creation and research. Open-access publishing is one of the more concrete ways research institutions demonstrate that commitment, and the use of DOIs adds a layer of academic credibility that distinguishes this from a simple content release.

Across the GCC, health and education ministries have been investing heavily in science literacy programs, partly to support the pipeline of local talent that national health strategies depend on. Saudi Vision 2030 and the UAE’s various science and innovation agendas share a similar logic: long-term health system resilience requires homegrown expertise, and that expertise starts with early education.

So a children’s genomics program published in Doha, freely downloadable in Arabic and English, with DOIs and global reach, is a small but meaningful piece of a much larger regional effort. The full collection is available now at the Manara QPHI Research Repository Portal.

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The update, announced in Doha on 28 July 2026, introduces appointment confirmation, electronic fee payment, and direct access to radiology results, all from within the app. It is a focused, practical expansion rather than a wholesale redesign, and that focus is arguably what makes it useful.

How does it work?

The new features centre on three areas. First, patients can now confirm their upcoming appointments directly through Lbaih within the 48-hour window before their visit. Once that window opens, the ability to cancel or reschedule through the app is no longer available. Patients who still need to make changes during that period must contact the Nesma’ak service by calling 16060.

Second, as part of the first phase of the rollout, patients can pay applicable appointment fees electronically through the app. This feature is currently live at three HMC facilities:

• Heart Hospital
• Al Wakra Hospital
• Communicable Disease Center

Third, patients can now access their radiology results and full reports through the Medical File section of Lbaih. Reports from all HMC hospitals are available once a physician has reviewed and approved them, keeping clinical oversight in place while still getting results to patients faster.

Why does it matter?

For patients, the practical benefit is straightforward. Fewer phone calls, less time spent waiting for paper results, and a clearer picture of what happens in the lead-up to an appointment. But the operational angle is just as significant. Appointment no-shows are a persistent problem in public health systems globally. A built-in confirmation step, with a hard cutoff that pushes urgent changes to a live call centre, is a reasonable attempt to reduce that waste without creating new bottlenecks.

Nasser Al Naimi, Chief of Patient Experience at HMC and Director of Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute, said the features are designed to give patients “greater flexibility and control” over managing their care. Dr. Amal Gomaa Abdulla, HMC’s Chief Information Officer, pointed to the dual benefit: a better experience for patients and improved operational efficiency across facilities. She described Lbaih as “a single integrated platform” for secure, accessible digital health services, which signals that HMC sees the app as infrastructure, not just a convenience tool.

The context

Qatar is not operating in isolation here. Across the GCC, governments have spent the past several years pushing healthcare systems to digitise faster, driven partly by post-pandemic lessons and partly by national development frameworks that treat health technology as a strategic priority. In Qatar specifically, the national health strategy has consistently emphasised patient-centred care, and digital access is a core part of that commitment.

Lbaih launched in July 2025 and reached 300,000 downloads without a particularly long runway. That uptake reflects genuine demand, and it also puts some pressure on HMC to keep the platform’s capabilities growing at a pace that matches expectations. So far, this update suggests the organisation is treating the app as a live, evolving product rather than a one-time launch.

The phased rollout of electronic payments is also worth watching. Starting with three hospitals before expanding is a sensible approach that limits risk, but it also means the feature’s real-world performance at Heart Hospital, Al Wakra, and the Communicable Disease Center will effectively set the template for broader deployment. If the process holds up under real patient volumes, a wider rollout across HMC’s full network seems the logical next step.

For health system leaders watching from elsewhere in the Gulf, Lbaih is a useful data point in a larger conversation about what patients actually want from a public health app, and what it takes to get them to use one consistently.

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