Why GCC healthcare needs a stronger digital base

In our conversations with healthcare leaders across the region, we consistently hear the same story expressed in different ways. 

A clinician trying to manage a complex diabetic patient only to discover their lab results are locked in another system. An insurer struggling to reconcile records to comply with government mandates, redirecting resources that could otherwise be devoted to patient care. A hospital CIO is frustrated that their AI pilot looks great in a demo but can’t move into day-to-day workflows because the data just isn’t there.

These are not failures of intent. On the contrary, the GCC is full of some of the most ambitious healthcare leaders we have ever met. The vision is bold. Investments are real. Programs like Malaffi, Nabidh, and NPHIES are proof that the region wants to leapfrog into a future of connected, intelligent healthcare.

And yet the day-to-day reality still reflects the need for improvement. Not because people do not want to change, but because the underlying digital foundation is not yet optimal to support that change.

What a digital foundation looks like

A true digital foundation is not glamorous. It does not make headlines the way AI or robotics do. But it is the difference between pilots that stall and systems that transform. It rests on three layers: 

• Data transformation layer. The GCC’s biggest challenge is its siloed systems. This layer integrates data across primary care centers, specialty hospitals, labs, pharmacies, and even SDoH sources. Whether it is a lab report, pharmacy record, or EMR note, this layer ensures that every health signal contributes to a single, unified patient record.
• Data integrity layer. Unifying data alone is not enough. The data must be trusted. This layer harmonizes and normalizes data using standards such as ICD-10, SNOMED, LOINC, and FHIR. It enforces GCC data localization laws (UAE Decree 45, Saudi PDPL) and provides traceability and consent controls.
• Intelligence activation layer. Once data is unified and governed, intelligence can be activated. APIs expose longitudinal patient records for use in workflows. Clinical decision support tools identify care gaps in real time. Patient 360 dashboards give physicians, care teams, and administrators a full view of each patient.

It helps improve coordination across public and private providers through real-time, data-driven referrals.

Unlike more fragmented geographies, Gulf nations can align national strategies, regulations, and investments. The Malaffi-Riayati integration in the UAE is a promising sign. Seha Virtual Hospital is a powerful prototype. And Vision 2030 places digital health at the heart of national growth.

But ambition must be anchored in infrastructure. PwC estimates that 30–40 percent of healthcare costs in the GCC are administrative, much of it caused by fragmented data. Even cutting that waste in half would free billions for frontline care and research.

Before AI, before analytics, before apps there must be trust in the data. And that trust can only come from a digital foundation strong enough to carry the weight of transformation.

The ambition across the GCC’s healthcare sector is clear, and the intent is shared by all involved — from policymakers to practitioners. The real challenge lies in building the right structures to support that vision. Once the foundation is in place, the Gulf won’t just catch up; it will leapfrog.

The future of healthcare in the GCC will be shaped not just by how quickly we adopt AI or launch apps, but by the strength of the digital bedrock we build to support them.

• Dr. Walid Abbas Zaher is a Saudi scientist and GCC advisory board member at Innovaccer.

• Akhter Hemayoun Mubarki is general manager at Innovaccer.