Book an appointment with us, or search the directory to find the right lawyer for you directly through the app.
Find out moreThe first Law Update of 2024 is here, and our first focus of the year spotlights Healthcare and Lifesciences, a sector that is undergoing significant growth and development across the MENA region.
Our focus provides an insight into some of the most important regulatory updates across the region, such as the UAE’s groundbreaking law on the use of human genome, Kuwait’s resolution on nuclear and radioactive materials, the new regulations for healthcare services in Qatar, Egypt’s healthcare regulatory framework, and the impact of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law on the healthcare and life sciences sector … and there is so much more!
Beyond the healthcare pages our lawyers share with you multi-sector insights where you will discover articles on Dubai’s DIFC regulatory framework for startups, Bahrain’s commercial agencies law, and we also shed light on Kuwaiti civil code and the advantages of setting up a joint stock company in Saudi Arabia.
Read the full editionThe Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (“DOH”) (formerly the Health Authority – Abu Dhabi) released a new policy to govern the use and implementation of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) in health care, with the goal of encouraging its safe and secure use.
The policy describes AI as “the mimicking of human thought and cognitive processes to solve complex problems automatically”. . . “such as machine learning, distributed intelligent systems, [and] expert systems”.
While the policy leaves to future regulatory decisions a number of key elements, essential requirements of an effective AI in healthcare framework are addressed. The DOH is directed to develop a regulatory framework that will govern the following elements of AI use in healthcare:
The new policy applies to:
The policy sets out minimum acceptable requirements that the DOH expects for AI (and its tools) introduced in Abu Dhabi, which includes certification by recognised international agencies, compliance with ADSSSA regulations and auditable validation statements.
Further, users of AI (other than patients) will be required to, among other things, 1) have in place clear governance on the use of AI, 2) provide clear guidelines and boundaries on access to and sharing of any patient information to protect confidentiality and ownership of such information, 3) conduct regular audits of AI functionality and reporting to DOH, 4) comply with all UAE and DOH related regulatory requirements, including those governing e-health, health information exchanges, data protection, information security, and AI.
The policy reflects DOH’s recognition of the critical role AI can play and the benefits to be gained from its use in in healthcare. To support and encourage the use of AI in healthcare clear regulatory frameworks must be created, following which companies can create the compliance structures necessary to ensure smooth and compliant adoption of AI into healthcare. We will stay tuned for further implementing frameworks expected from the DOH.
Should you require any advice concerning the new AI policy, our Healthcare sector would be happy to assist.
To learn more about our services and get the latest legal insights from across the Middle East and North Africa region, click on the link below.