An algorithm a day to keep health issues at bay

The UAE has witnessed a dramatic expansion of its healthcare industry over the past four decades.

Prasanth Manghat, CEO and Executive Director of NMC Healthcare, speaks about factors that will change the future of healthcare locally and globally.
A few weeks back, world leaders gathered in Davos at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting with an aim to rededicate themselves to evolve a shared chronicle that would improve the state of the world.
I was privileged to actively participate in the narrative and contribute to the improvement of one of the key global sectors - healthcare - as I shared my thoughts, experiences and outlook with my peers at the WEF's panel discussion on 'The Hospital of the Future'.

Prasanth Manghat, CEO and Executive Director of NMC Healthcare
As highlighted in a report by the US-UAE Business Council on the UAE's healthcare sector, the country has witnessed a dramatic expansion of its healthcare industry over the past four decades. At the time of the UAE's founding in 1971, the country had just seven hospitals and 12 health centres. At the end of year 2016, it had well over 70 public and private hospitals and 150 centres and clinics focused on primary care.
In February 2016, Alpen Capital projected an annual average growth rate of 12.7 per cent for period 2015-20, estimating that the total UAE healthcare market would reach $19.5 billion by 2020.
Population growth, high birth rates and longer life expectancies among Emiratis and increasing number of expatriates would continue to fuel this growth story.
The percentage of Emiratis above the age of 60 is set to double from around 5.2 per cent at present to 11 per cent by 2032. Hence, there would be an increase in demand for healthcare, in general and geriatrics, in particular.
The flailing lifestyle habits are increasing the burden in non-communicable disease category, and propelling this growth with a high prevalence of chronic diseases induced by poor nutrition, sedentary behaviour and smoking. 
Because of the above, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer are increasingly prevalent.
There are several other reasons for the growth of the UAE healthcare sector and these include moving towards the introduction of universal health insurance and the rise of medical tourism.
The development of digital technologies represents a huge opportunity to transform the healthcare sector in a way that increases efficiency as well as quality, and the West has been at the forefront of the adoption of such advancements.
As per Moore's Law, the power of computing is doubling every year. Hence, scaling up the skill levels of a doctor may take some time but to scale up technologies would take much less time.
Today, medical technologies are working as a second pair of dependable eyes, analysing mass data while trying to find patterns in the signs and symptoms of diseases.
We see the larger part of the equation building up on the sly via data-driven technologies in trying to recognise patterns that would warn early signs of the diseases. Healthcare and technology go hand in hand and would always do.
Innovative technologies in healthcare - especially in areas of remote monitoring of disease via wearable diagnostic gadgets; early diagnosis of a disease; prenatal diagnosis and treatment of the diseases; and the way we look at some of the degenerative diseases of today - shall change the future of healthcare locally and globally.
The next big disruption in the healthcare will be brought about by powerful technologies. Researchers under intense study are developing algorithms that use deep-learning, machine vision and correlating the patient data with clinical insights to automatically highlight the areas of probable interest to a physician. It will also play an important role in clinical documentation - record keeping and retrievals.