Dr. Mohammed Alkhaldi

Assistant Professor, Canadian University Dubai

“I am honored to have received a prestigious grant from the Dubai Future Foundation, which enables me to leverage over 15 years of experience in global health research, policy, education, and practice to lead a multidisciplinary research project instituted at the Canadian University Dubai. With great excitement, I look forward to partnering with UAE health authorities and collaborating with two leading universities, McGill and Bonn, to implement this important project, which aims to conduct a comprehensive system analysis and digitize the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) system in the UAE. The project aligns directly with the UAE’s vision of becoming a global leader in healthcare innovation and with global health strategic direction on HTA which is an innovative approach to improve healthcare decision-making and ultimately enhance the quality of life for the population.”

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is an emerging global and local topic that contributes to improving health systems and achieving Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals. HTA is a multidisciplinary decision-making and evaluation process of medical technologies to determine their medical, social, economic, organizational, and ethical values and impacts. The relevance of this project lies in the increasing need for HTA today more than ever. HTA is seen as a developmental approach to address current health challenges, particularly in the UAE. The project primarily aims to conduct a comprehensive system analysis to understand the HTA system in the UAE and build a technology-driven HTA system that works in the Dubai health sector first and then scale it up to the national health system in the UAE for a centralized and coordinated decision-making process. The project will start in 2025, end in 2027, and will be implemented in Dubai targeting public and private organizations involved in HTA. This system analysis will apply a mixed methods approach that includes a literature review, an institutional electronic survey developed by WHO to be filled by HTA-associated organizations, in-depth interviews with key informants, and technical and professional consultations with experts in public health, technology, data, AI, and legislation to develop and operationalize the technology-based HTA system. The project will serve as cutting-edge evidence for Dubai, the UAE, and other Gulf Cooperation Council and Middle East regions in unlocking the potential for better application, utilization, and optimization of HTA using technology for better health decision-making. Lessons learned, gaps, and solutions will be identified to build and strengthen the HTA system using technological solutions. This advanced HTA system will improve universal health coverage, digitize health systems, and promote multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinarity engagement in health decision-making.