Global healthcare leaders gathered in Dubai for the official launch of WHX Leaders, an invitation-only summit uniting senior policymakers, health system executives, global institutions and innovators to align on key priorities shaping the future of healthcare delivery worldwide.
Held under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention and aligned with UAE Vision 2031, the high-level summit served as a preview to the full WHX Leaders programme launching in 2027. It provided a closed-door setting for strategic dialogue on prevention-led care, responsible adoption of artificial intelligence, and long-term system sustainability.
Opening the summit, His Excellency Dr Amin Hussain Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary of the Health Regulations Sector, Ministry of Health and Prevention, outlined the UAE’s ambition to become a global leader in healthcare innovation by shifting from reactive treatment to prevention and personalised care.
The Ministry highlighted the roles of artificial intelligence (AI), genomics and unified national health data in enabling more predictive, equitable, and sustainable healthcare models, positioning the UAE as a living laboratory for health innovation and a global hub for high-quality care.
Building on this vision, Shaista Asif, Group Chief Executive Officer, Pure Health, emphasised the need to rethink healthcare not as a cost burden but as a driver of national wellbeing and prosperity.
“We firmly believe that the next decade will not be defined by opening new hospitals. It will be defined by new thinking. We're giving people more life to live, more time with their families, more years of contribution, more years of purpose. We're taking healthcare from being an economic burden to an economic catalyst. And this is the most important point, that this transformation is not about technology. Technology is just the enabler. Humanity is the purpose,” she said.
Addressing the summit via video link, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, highlighted both the transformative potential and the risks of AI in healthcare, stressing the importance of governance, trusted data, and international cooperation.
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds huge potential to transform systems and expand access to essential health services, but it also carries risks that countries must understand and navigate. Countries need strong governance, trusted data and sustained investment, and they need cooperation across borders and sectors around the world,” he said.
Welcoming delegates on behalf of the organisers, Lord Stephen Carter, Group Chief Executive Officer, Informa, described this period as both the most demanding and most consequential era for healthcare leadership.
He said: “The healthcare sector is operating in an exponentially expanding market, with more people, more older adults, and more informed, demanding patients who expect personalised, preventative care and a better quality of life - not just treatment when something goes wrong. WHX Leaders brings together the thinkers and decision-makers who can turn that expectation into reality by reimagining how healthcare is delivered on a global scale.”
Additional speakers at the summit included H.E. Saleh Mahdi Muttalib Al-Hasnawi, Minister of Health, Iraq; H.E. Saman Albarzingi, Minister of Health, Kurdistan Regional Government; Daniel Kraft, Founder and CEO of NextMed Health; Dimitris Moulavasilis, Group CEO of M42; Maneesh Goyal, Chief Operating Officer of Mayo Clinic; Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and Sameh ElFangary, Chairman of PHRMAG and President, GCC & Pakistan at AstraZeneca.
The full WHX Leaders programme will take place in 2027, building on the outcomes of the launch summit. It will join WHX (formerly Arab Health) and WHX Labs (formerly Medlab Middle East) as part of a trio of city-wide events, reinforcing the UAE’s position as a global hub for healthcare leadership, investment, and innovation.
WHX is part of inD, a partnership between Informa Group PLC and the Dubai World Trade Centre.