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RIYADH: ����ֱ��’s advancements in the health care industry were under the spotlight at the Global Health Exhibition in Malham on Wednesday, including research for chronic diseases, building of institutional capacity, and the harnessing of technology. 

Abdulrahman Sabra, general manager of Roche, told Arab News: “One of the major pillars we focus on, whether in the Vision 2030 goals, or in the strategy for us as well, is how to build capabilities within ����ֱ��, and one of the areas we focus on is clinical research.”

Saad Albattal, chief medical officer of chronic diseases at Health Holding, highlighted a recent initiative, the Diabetic Command Center.

“The best example of that is the Diabetic Command Center, which is the first in the world. We are following all the patients with CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) and all their readings, and the glucose monitoring system is reflected on our screens.” 

Albattal said this command center uses built-in, artificial-intelligence technology to send monitoring notifications to beneficiaries.

“Once a patient is way off the track, interventions will be made by healthcare providers either by calling the patient or even by sending an emergency ambulance to the location of the patient,” he said. 

The provision and accessibility of medical devices are also a focus of companies in the Kingdom. 

Fahad Albuthi, COO at ����ֱ��’s National Unified Procurement Co., one of the nation’s primary suppliers of devices, highlighted the role of his firm.   

“We are focusing on supporting health care to increase efficiency and also reducing the cost of the service provider, and this is with the full supply chain cycle we are responsible for, from the planning to the delivery of the item to the healthcare provider.” 

“At NUPCO, we are combining a proven track record in delivery with AI-driven innovation, digital procurement platforms, and predictive analytics to enhance efficiency, accessibility, and quality across ����ֱ��’s healthcare ecosystem,” said Albuthi.

“By using AI to optimize delivery routes and prioritize critical orders, we have significantly reduced delays and improved patient outcomes. 

“We have also automated more than 15 core operations through Robotic Process Automation, cutting repetitive administrative tasks and boosting efficiency.”

Giving an example of the operations, Albuthi said: “During Hajj, urgent delivery times on our longest route dropped to under 6 minutes, which is clear proof that when the systems are reliable, frontier technology can transform emergency response nationwide.”

The firm announced earlier this year that it had secured three significant financing agreements totaling SR2.5 billion ($666.6 million) to strengthen supply-chain financing for healthcare suppliers.

The Seha Virtual Hospital, through its Digital Clinical Research Center, has successfully conducted a pioneering clinical study to verify the accuracy of the AI-powered digital platform iSelfie.ai in the early detection of heart disease and related chronic conditions.

The study included more than 1,000 participants and received approval from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and the Research and Studies General Department, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

The clinical trial was conducted in collaboration with leading national medical institutions, highlighting the importance of partnerships in advancing medical research in the Kingdom.

The study’s primary goal was to verify the accuracy of the Canadian-developed iSelfie.ai platform, which uses artificial intelligence to analyze facial selfies taken with a standard smartphone camera.

Within seconds, it can measure vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation and respiratory rate.

The study’s results showed that the platform’s accuracy is comparable to traditional medical devices, positioning it as an innovative, rapid and cost-effective solution for early diagnosis.

This technology had previously achieved promising results in clinical trials conducted in the US, Canada and Brazil, the SPA reported.

The Digital Clinical Research Center, launched during the Global Health Exhibition last year, continues to conduct five pioneering digital studies involving artificial intelligence, wearable devices and telemedicine.

This initiative aligns with a strategic direction to accelerate treatment development, enhance research innovation and empower healthcare professionals with advanced tools, ultimately improving quality of life and patient safety in line with health transformation goals and Vision 2030.