AISaudi Arabia’s Seha Virtual Hospital delivered more than 16 million virtual appointments and consultations in 2025, and Abu Dhabi’s health information exchange holds 3.5 billion clinical records. The data and the digital front doors exist. For providers and payers, 2026-27 is about using them for access, coordination and patient service, under rules that keep AI under human supervision.
virtual appointments and consultations delivered by Saudi Arabia’s Seha Virtual Hospital in 2025.
Saudi Ministry of HealthMinistry of Health staff moved into Health Holding’s regional clusters by May 2026.
Saudi Ministry of Healthclinical records on Malaffi, Abu Dhabi’s health information exchange, covering 12.7 million patients.
M42, 2025Qatar’s 2026 health budget, up from QAR 22 billion in 2025.
Qatar Government Communications OfficeIn brief
The four things to know before you plan.
- Saudi Arabia’s Seha Virtual Hospital delivered more than 16 million virtual appointments and consultations in 2025, and the Sehhaty app passed 31 million users.
- More than 130,000 Saudi Ministry of Health staff had moved into Health Holding’s regional clusters by May 2026.
- Abu Dhabi’s Malaffi exchange holds 3.5 billion clinical records for 12.7 million patients; Dubai’s NABIDH passed 10.41 million records.
- Abu Dhabi requires AI in healthcare to work under human oversight.
The market, country by country
| Market | Scale | Digital | Rules to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | SAR 259bn health and social development budget (2026); 130,000+ staff in clusters | Seha: 16m+ virtual encounters (2025); Sehhaty: 31m+ users | Draft PDPL amendments: 72-hour breach notification |
| United Arab Emirates | Malaffi: 12.7m patient profiles (Abu Dhabi); NABIDH: 10.41m records (Dubai) | Exchanges connect thousands of facilities | Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 on health data; Abu Dhabi Responsible AI Standard |
| Qatar | QAR 25.4bn health budget (2026) | Lbaih app: 300,000+ downloads; telemedicine consultations down 14% (2025) | Shift to self-service on mobile |
| Egypt | Universal Health Insurance: 5.2m beneficiaries; phase two target 13m people | World Bank: beneficiary, provider and claims modules still to roll out | Amendments to the Universal Health Insurance Law under review |
Sources: Saudi Ministry of Health; Saudi Ministry of Finance; M42; Dubai Health Authority; Qatar Government Communications Office; Gulf Times; The Peninsula; Egypt Today; Amwal Al Ghad; World Bank; Department of Health Abu Dhabi.
Five shifts to plan for
What is changing in the market, with the evidence for each shift.
3.1Care moves to regional operators
More than 130,000 Ministry of Health staff now work in Health Holding’s clusters, and Saudi Arabia’s health and social development budget is SAR 259 billion for 2026 (Ministry of Finance). Each cluster manages access, referrals and patient contact across its region, and partnerships such as the 15-year contract for the SABIC mental health hospital bring private operators into the same pathways.
3.2The digital front door is mainstream
Seha delivered more than 16 million virtual encounters in 2025, and the Sehhaty app passed 31 million users. In Qatar, Hamad Medical Corporation’s telemedicine consultations fell 14% in 2025 while its Lbaih app passed 300,000 downloads. Growth is moving to self-service: bookings, results, payments and reminders.
3.3Records exist, and engagement is next
Malaffi in Abu Dhabi and NABIDH in Dubai, with 10.41 million records by June 2025, give providers each patient’s history. The next step is consent-aware outreach and service built on those records.
3.4Egypt’s insurance rollout needs systems
Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance System had 5.2 million beneficiaries by March 2026, and phase two aims to cover 13 million people. The World Bank reports that the beneficiary, provider and claims modules are still to be rolled out, which leaves enrolment, member service and claims journeys wide open.
3.5AI stays under supervision
Abu Dhabi’s Responsible AI Standard requires AI systems to work under human oversight and patients to be told they can opt out (Department of Health, October 2025). Saudi Arabia is consulting on draft data rules that include 72-hour breach notification. Patient-facing agents need handover, audit trails and opt-out designed in.
Dates to watch
- 1 Nov 2026On a strict reading, the one-year grace period under Egypt’s data protection executive regulations ends (CMS), which covers patient data held by providers and insurers.
- 5 Nov 2026Consultation closes on Saudi Arabia’s draft data-protection amendments.
- Early 2027SABIC Specialized Mental Health Hospital begins operations under a 15-year contract.
- 2026-27Phase two of Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance System, aiming to cover 13 million people.
Where to start
Where Arcsen would start, and the page that explains each one.
Patient access and referrals
Health Cloud for scheduling, referrals and care coordination across hospitals, clinics and virtual care.
Healthcare at Arcsen →Connected records
MuleSoft links EMRs, health information exchanges and insurer systems through reusable APIs.
MuleSoft →Member and claims service
Service Cloud for payers and insurance schemes: enrolment, member questions and claims status in one place.
Service Cloud →Supervised AI agents
Agentforce for bookings, reminders and routine questions, with human handover and audit trails built in.
Agentforce →Priorities for the next 12 months
- Map the patient journey across virtual and physical care and fix the drop-off points.
- Connect CRM to EMRs and health exchanges, with consent recorded per patient.
- Move routine contact (bookings, reminders, results) to self-service in Arabic and English.
- Write an AI policy for patient-facing tools that meets the Abu Dhabi standard and Saudi rules.
- Payers: digitize enrolment and claims status before the next coverage expansion.
- 15Pages
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Take the outlook into your planning meeting.
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Questions leaders ask
How big is virtual care in Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia’s Seha Virtual Hospital delivered more than 16 million virtual appointments and medical consultations in 2025, according to the Ministry of Health. Seha connects to 241 hospitals and more than 1,400 health centres, and the Sehhaty app has more than 31 million users.
What are Saudi Arabia’s health clusters?
Health clusters are regional networks run under Health Holding, the company taking over care delivery from the Ministry of Health. More than 130,000 ministry staff had moved into 10 clusters across two phases by May 2026.
What does Abu Dhabi require for AI in healthcare?
The Department of Health Abu Dhabi’s Responsible AI Standard (October 2025) requires AI systems to function under human oversight and patients to be told of their right to opt out of AI-driven services where applicable.
How far has Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance System reached?
Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance System had 5.2 million beneficiaries by March 2026, with an 82% registration rate in the first-phase governorates. Phase two aims to extend coverage to 13 million people.
Other outlooks for 2026-27
Eight more sectors, researched and sourced the same way.
Financial services outlook
Slower bank growth and tighter funding, open banking licensed in Saudi Arabia, real-time payments and fintech competition.
Read the outlook →Insurance outlook
Premiums growing faster than profits, risk-based capital from January 2027, consolidation and rising health costs.
Read the outlook →Travel and transportation outlook
Recovery after the 2026 disruption, Saudi domestic travel, new airlines and rail, biometrics and AI.
Read the outlook →Retail and distribution outlook
Resident-led demand, electronic payments, paid membership, retail media, Egypt’s prices and e-invoicing.
Read the outlook →Public sector outlook
Agentic AI in government, published citizen-experience scores, single front doors and fewer steps.
Read the outlook →Education outlook
National admissions platforms, AI in the curriculum, Dubai’s private-sector growth and cross-border recruitment.
Read the outlook →Automotive outlook
Deferred demand, weak brand loyalty, Chinese brands, aftersales, EV charging and new Saudi plants.
Read the outlook →Manufacturing outlook
Supply routes, local content rules, Saudi factory growth, Egypt’s exports and service on the installed base.
Read the outlook →Talk to the people behind this outlook
To discuss what it means for your organization, contact us directly.
Planning for 2026-27?
Talk to the people delivering Salesforce, Sitecore and Agentforce in Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah, Doha and Cairo.
Sources and method
Arcsen is a Salesforce Summit Partner and Sitecore partner with teams in Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah, Doha and Cairo. This outlook uses official statistics, regulator and government publications, company filings and established research, checked on 25 October 2026. Where a figure comes from a news report of official data, the source below names both. We update this page as new data is published.
- Over 16 million appointments in 2025 drive Seha virtual health care up, Saudi Ministry of Health, 27 January 2026.
- Virtual care: breaking boundaries in advanced healthcare, Saudi Ministry of Health, 9 August 2026.
- Health Holding completes staff transfer to health clusters, Saudi Ministry of Health, 25 May 2026.
- Budget Statement, Fiscal Year 2026, Saudi Ministry of Finance, December 2025.
- MoH signs operating contract for SABIC mental health hospital, Saudi Ministry of Health, 26 July 2026.
- Malaffi reaches 3.5 billion clinical records, M42, 14 August 2025.
- NABIDH platform holds over 10 million medical records, Dubai Health Authority, 15 July 2025.
- His Highness the Amir Approves 2026 General Budget, Qatar Government Communications Office, 11 December 2025.
- HMC reports major healthcare advances in 2025, Gulf Times, 15 May 2026.
- HMC introduces new digital services on Lbaih mobile application, The Peninsula, 28 July 2026.
- Egypt achieves 82% registration rate in first phase of health insurance, Egypt Today, 11 March 2026.
- Egypt’s PM reviews rollout of second phase of universal health insurance scheme, Amwal Al Ghad, 22 December 2025.
- Implementation Status & Results Report: Supporting Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance System, World Bank, January 2026.
- Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) Standard, Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, October 2025.
- Federal Law No. (2) of 2019 concerning the use of ICT in health fields, UAE Ministry of Justice, 2019.
- SDAIA publishes draft amendments to the Implementing Regulations of the PDPL, Clyde & Co, 8 October 2026.
- Egypt’s PDPL executive regulations issued: one-year compliance countdown begins, CMS, 13 January 2026.