Makkah Health Cluster brings AI-powered healthcare platform ‘iSelfie’ to region

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Updated 03 June 2025
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Makkah Health Cluster brings AI-powered healthcare platform ‘iSelfie’ to region

The Makkah Health Cluster has signed a cooperation agreement with Canadian company AIZTech, which specializes in AI-powered medical diagnostics, to deploy the iSelfie platform across its facilities, including King Abdullah Medical City and several major hospitals in Makkah.

The signing ceremony was attended by Jean-Philippe Linteau, ambassador of Canada to Saudi Arabia; Dr. Mubarak Al-Mulhem, director general of healthcare at the Ministry of Investment; and Dr. Hatim Al-Omari, CEO of the Makkah Health Cluster, which oversees more than 10 hospitals in the city. Also present were Dr. Adel Tash, CEO of King Abdullah Medical City, and Tarek Sultan, vice chairman of Agility. The agreement was signed by Al-Omari and Mohamed Sheta, CEO of AIZTech.

This marks the first agreement of its kind in the Middle East, allowing patients to benefit from instant health assessments using AI through a short facial video, with no additional hardware required. The iSelfie platform analyzes the video to extract key health metrics including blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate. The platform will be integrated into the patient-facing screens within hospital facilities and will be used with the assistance of medical staff.

Al-Omari said: “We are proud to be the first in the Kingdom and the region to adopt this advanced technology, which reflects our ongoing commitment to harnessing the latest digital solutions to enhance diagnostic efficiency and accelerate patient care. This step marks a qualitative leap toward a more advanced and innovative healthcare system, aligned with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.”

Tash added: “In line with the spirit of digital transformation and the ambitious Saudi Vision 2030, we are pleased to launch this innovative AI-powered technology in Makkah. This launch is backed by a pivotal study conducted across the Kingdom, where the technology showed promising results when compared with 1,021 cases diagnosed using traditional medical devices. We are committed to expanding access to these advanced tools to benefit the wider community in the region.”

Sheta said: “We are honored to collaborate with one of the Kingdom’s leading public healthcare institutions. This agreement is a clear indicator of the growing trust in AI-powered healthcare solutions and reinforces our belief that remote, non-invasive early diagnostics will be a core part of healthcare’s future.”

Ambassador Linteau said: “Digital health innovation is gaining momentum in Canada, and Saudi Arabia is a market that is open to early adoption of innovation in the health sector.” He also expressed hope that the platform will achieve remarkable success in the early detection of health conditions in patients.

The iSelfie platform has proven its effectiveness through clinical trials conducted in Saudi Arabia, the US, Canada, and Brazil, including a national study supported by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority. Results showed that the platform provides accurate readings comparable to traditional medical devices, with the added benefits of rapid assessment, accessibility, and cost efficiency.

This collaboration aligns with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which places innovation and digital transformation at the heart of healthcare development by improving the quality of life, promoting preventive care, and expanding access to modern medical services.

 


Aramco Digital to launch National Industrial Network on 450 MHz band

Updated 12 January 2026
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Aramco Digital to launch National Industrial Network on 450 MHz band

Aramco Digital, the digital and technology arm of Aramco, is preparing to launch its National Industrial Network operating on the 450 MHz spectrum, a network designed to enable secure, resilient, and high-reliability industrial communications across Saudi Arabia. The network has been engineered as a mission-critical industrial infrastructure to deliver high levels of security, flexibility, and reliability to meet the needs of industrial sectors. It provides wide-area coverage with advanced protection standards, supporting operational environments that require continuous performance and dependable connectivity for critical facilities and assets.

“The National Industrial Network has been designed to support the advanced operational requirements of modern industrial environments, aimed at enhancing efficiency, strengthening business continuity, and enabling a new class of highly reliable industrial communications. Together with next-generation mission-critical smart radios, the network aims to help build a future-ready industrial infrastructure that enables real-time data insights, supports industrial digital transformation, and aligns with the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030,” said Nabil Al-Nuaim, Aramco Digital CEO.

Unlike public networks, the National Industrial Network has been purpose-built for industrial environments, enabling connectivity for critical assets, supply chains, logistics operations, and autonomous mobility systems. The network seeks to elevate smart industrial services, supporting real-time monitoring, automation, enhanced safety, and higher operational efficiency across industrial sectors.

As part of the launch, Aramco Digital plans to introduce an integrated portfolio of industrial digital solutions powered by the 450 MHz network. These include specialized connectivity packages tailored to diverse sector needs, along with a new generation of mission-critical smart radios designed specifically for industrial operations. The devices combine rugged high-performance design and industrial safety compliance with advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, enhanced sensing technologies, extended battery life, and real-time on-device data processing, helping improve accuracy, safety, and operational continuity in complex environments.

The network has also been designed to support a wide spectrum of industrial IoT applications, including asset condition and performance monitoring, fleet tracking, air-quality and environmental sensing, intelligent video monitoring, smart metering, lighting and infrastructure control, as well as mobility and fleet-management solutions. These capabilities enhance operational transparency, automation, and efficiency across both industrial and public sectors.

The National Industrial Network aims to help establish a strong technological foundation for Saudi Arabia’s next industrial phase, contributing to the objectives of Vision 2030 by delivering highly reliable, nationwide industrial connectivity that enables automation, intelligence, and advanced digital services across vital sectors. By developing connectivity solutions aligned with the needs of modern industrial operations, Aramco Digital is helping shape the future of mission-critical digital infrastructure in the Kingdom, moving beyond traditional telecommunications to enable continuous interaction between devices, machines, and AI-powered systems, and strengthening real-time decision-making through edge processing.

The 450 MHz National Industrial Network represents more than an improvement in coverage or performance. It is a strategic step toward smarter, more autonomous, and technology-driven industrial ecosystems that enhance operational excellence and set a new benchmark for advanced digital infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

With the accelerating pace of digital transformation in the Kingdom, secure and reliable connectivity has become a fundamental pillar in supporting operational requirements and driving economic growth. Organizations across various sectors— including industrial sectors and those enabling future economies — are increasingly relying on advanced connectivity solutions and technologies to enhance safety and reliability, improve operational efficiency, and unlock new horizons for sustainable economic development.