SAKINA and Emirates Autism Society join forces to close the gap in autism care

Autism care in the UAE is about to get more connected. SAKINA, the mental health network operating under SEHA, itself a subsidiary of PureHealth, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Emirates Autism Society. The agreement is designed to strengthen integrated care for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and widen access to specialised healthcare and rehabilitation services across the country.

This is not a routine partnership announcement. It brings together two organisations that sit on different sides of the care equation: a clinical network with significant infrastructure and a civil society organisation with deep community roots. That combination, when it works, tends to produce results that neither side could achieve alone.

How will it work?

While the full operational details are still emerging, MoUs of this type typically establish shared protocols, referral pathways, and joint programmes. Based on the organisations involved, the partnership is expected to cover:

• Coordinated referrals between SAKINA's clinical teams and Emirates Autism Society's community programmes
• Joint development of specialised rehabilitation services for individuals with ASD
• Improved access to mental health support for autistic individuals and their families
• Knowledge-sharing between clinical professionals and community-based specialists

The goal, in plain terms, is to reduce the fragmentation that families with autistic members so often experience when trying to access consistent, long-term care.

Why does it matter?

Autism Spectrum Disorder affects a significant and growing number of individuals across the GCC. But access to quality, coordinated care has historically been uneven. Families frequently move between providers, repeat assessments, and encounter gaps between clinical treatment and community support. A formal agreement like this one creates accountability and structure where informal coordination often falls short.

For the UAE specifically, this kind of integration aligns with the country's broader health ambitions. The UAE's national health strategy has placed considerable emphasis on specialised and preventive care, and mental health has moved from the margins to a stated priority. PureHealth, as one of the region's largest integrated healthcare platforms, has the scale to make agreements like this one operationally meaningful rather than symbolic.

The context

SEHA runs one of the most extensive public healthcare networks in Abu Dhabi, and SAKINA sits within that structure as its dedicated mental health arm. The Emirates Autism Society, meanwhile, has been one of the most active advocacy and support organisations for the autism community in the UAE for years. So this is not two unfamiliar parties coming together. It's a formalisation of what should be a natural alliance.

Across the GCC, there is growing recognition that mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions require long-term, community-embedded models of care, not just clinical episodes. This MoU is a step in that direction. Whether it delivers on its promise will depend on implementation, but the structure is at least pointed the right way.