Nahyan bin Mubarak Inaugurates Forbes Middle East Healthcare Leaders Summit in Abu Dhabi.

UAE Has Become a Centre of Healthcare Excellence Under President’s Leadership, Says Nahyan bin Mubarak

AbuDhabi(News Desk):: September 22, 2026: H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, inaugurated the fifth edition of the Healthcare Leaders Summit – Abu Dhabi 2026, bringing together around 3,000 participants and more than 100 speakers from the UAE, the region and around the world.

Held under his patronage by Forbes Middle East in partnership with PureHealth, the two-day summit is taking place on September 22–23 at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi, under the theme “Defining Global Standards in Healthcare Excellence.”

Addressing the opening session, Sheikh Nahyan said the UAE is moving forward with confidence to rank among the world’s leading nations under the leadership of President H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

He said the UAE’s leadership has established a vision for a country that welcomes people from around the world, embraces technology, supports research and innovation, and places the health and wellbeing of citizens and residents among its priorities.

Sheikh Nahyan noted that the UAE has developed into a centre of healthcare excellence, supported by advanced facilities, highly skilled professionals and productive international partnerships. He stressed that the country’s ambition extends beyond adopting global achievements to contributing to the standards by which healthcare excellence is defined and measured.

He highlighted the growing global burden of chronic and preventable diseases, noting that longer life expectancy must be accompanied by greater emphasis on prevention, early diagnosis and maintaining healthier lives.

Sheikh Nahyan also highlighted the transformative potential of technology in diagnosis, treatment, prevention and research. While technology can provide unprecedented capabilities and insights, he stressed that the human role of physicians remains fundamental to identifying illnesses, prescribing treatment and caring for patients.He called for stronger cooperation between policymakers, pharmaceutical companies, technology developers, physicians, biomedical engineers, hospitals and medical colleges, saying that no single institution can shape the future of healthcare alone.

The Minister also emphasised the importance of effective healthcare management in controlling costs, improving efficiency, allocating resources and ensuring quality care for patients. He said the true test of any healthcare system lies not only in the treatment available to its most fortunate patients, but also in the quality of care delivered to ordinary patients.

Addressing the regional dimension of healthcare, Sheikh Nahyan said diseases do not respect national borders and that knowledge should not be restricted by them either. He called for greater exchange of research, clinical experience, data and successful prevention and treatment models across the Middle East.

He further stressed that healthcare must remain humane as technology and automation continue to transform medical systems. He said healthcare professionals must continue treating patients with dignity regardless of nationality, religion, language, gender or social status.

Concluding his remarks, Sheikh Nahyan said that global healthcare excellence should be measured not only by technological sophistication, but also by people’s health, accessibility of care and the humanity with which healthcare is delivered.

Khuloud Al Omian, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Middle East, said the summit comes at a time of accelerating scientific and technological transformation that is redefining healthcare excellence.

She said the Abu Dhabi summit brings together expertise and perspectives from across the sector to help shape a future in which healthcare is more proactive, precise and responsive to people’s needs, while reflecting the UAE’s role in shaping the future of healthcare.

Shaista Asif, Group CEO of PureHealth, said technology, particularly artificial intelligence, is creating new possibilities for understanding, preventing and delivering healthcare.

She said bringing together leading experts and ideas from different industries can help create a future where innovation translates into improved healthcare experiences and outcomes, combining technology with human expertise.

The first day featured prominent healthcare leaders and experts, including H.E. Dr Amin Hussain Al Ameeri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Health Regulation Sector at the Ministry of Health and Prevention; H.E. Dr Rashed Alsuwaidi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre; Peter Fedichev, Co-Founder and CEO of GERO; and Madhu Sasidhar, President and CEO of the Hospital Division at Apollo Hospitals.

Other participants included Khaled Ateeq Aldhaheri, CEO of Daman; Dr Marwan Al Kaabi, CEO of Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City; Dr Habiba Al Safar, Dean of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences and Professor of Genomics at Khalifa University; Joseph Hazel, Group CEO of APEX Health; and Dr Michael Fakih, Executive Chairman of Blue Ocean Health and Founder, Chairman and Medical Director of Fakih IVF Group.

Discussions on the first day covered healthcare policy and leadership, regulatory frameworks, pharmaceutical innovation, international partnerships, knowledge exchange and the development of advanced healthcare ecosystems.

Sessions also examined fertility and reproductive health, with discussions focusing on genomics, AI and precision medicine and the UAE’s emergence as a hub for advanced fertility care.

Other sessions explored longevity, precision health, patient experience, chronic and non-communicable diseases, prevention, early intervention and the use of integrated health data and advanced diagnostics to support more predictive and personalised care.

The summit also addressed the impact of social media, health misinformation and medical myths on public decision-making, as well as ways for healthcare professionals to strengthen public trust in science and evidence-based information.

Alongside the main programme, Doctors Circle hosted CME-accredited clinical sessions covering robotic-assisted surgery, AI and early disease detection, liver disease, genetic risks, fertility and reproductive medicine, longevity, women’s health, breast cancer, mental health, paediatric surgery and rare diseases.

The second day of the summit will focus on healthcare transformation at scale, including intelligent clinical ecosystems, AI, robotics, data-driven care, connected health, wearable technology, digital platforms, biological and gene therapies, healthcare investment, talent and global partnerships.

Sessions will also explore virtual healthcare, remote monitoring, hybrid models of care, mental health and early intervention, surgical innovation, clinical development and the role of capital and strategic partnerships in building sustainable healthcare capabilities.

Day-two speakers include H.E. Dr Essam Al Zarooni, CEO – Medical Services Sector at Emirates Health Services; H.E. Mohamed Haji Al Khoori, Director General of Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation; Professor Shafi Ahmed, Consultant Surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust; Dr Tarek Youssef Hosni, CEO of Jamjoom Pharma; Dr Asma Al Mannaei, Executive Director of the Research and Innovation Centre at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi; and Majid Kaddoumi, SVP EurAsia at Medtronic.

The summit is held in partnership with PureHealth, with Al Khayyat Investments, APEX Health and Capital Health as event partners. Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City is the CME accreditation partner, Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation is the supporting partner, and the Emirates Medical Association is the scientific partner.