Photo Credit: Khaleej Times
The UAE has introduced a new national health intelligence platform, ‘Bayan’, designed to serve as a single, integrated source of verified health data across the country.
Unveiled during the World Health Expo 2026 by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), the platform consolidates critical information that was previously dispersed across hospitals, clinics and government entities. Officials say the system will transform how health strategies are developed and implemented at a national level.
Bringing fragmented data under one roof
For years, decision-makers faced challenges due to scattered datasets across public and private healthcare providers. Bayan addresses that gap by connecting historical and live data into one enterprise data warehouse.
Dr. Alya Zaid Harbi, Director of the Statistics and Research Center at MoHAP, described the platform as a national unifier and a “single source of truth” for the country’s health ecosystem.
“It is a big data platform where we connect all data — historical and live — into one system,” she said. “The data comes from electronic medical records, national health surveys and even non-health sectors such as education and road traffic.”
The integration includes information on disease prevalence, doctor licensing, hospital bed capacity, medical graduates and broader demographic indicators. Education data, such as the number of students studying medicine and nursing, is also incorporated to support workforce planning.
From data to decisions
Beyond aggregation, Bayan is designed to convert information into actionable insights.
The platform integrates more than 300 health indicators and over 45 interactive dashboards covering birth and death statistics, vaccination coverage, workforce distribution, hospital infrastructure, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global competitiveness benchmarks.
Using Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping, authorities can identify disease clusters, assess regional workforce shortages and forecast future healthcare needs.
“It gives us the big picture of UAE population health,” Dr. Alya explained. “We can see trends and projections — what may happen by 2030, for example. If certain diseases are concentrated in a specific area, we can determine whether more workforce or facilities are needed there.”
Built on quality and validation
Developed over more than three years, Bayan’s rollout required extensive backend work to ensure accuracy and reliability.
“We are not just integrating data,” Dr. Alya noted. “There are business rules in place to guarantee data quality and validation.”
The system incorporates records dating back to 2005 alongside real-time updates. During a live demonstration, Dr. Alya showcased a dashboard tracking daily birth figures, noting that approximately 300 babies had been added to the national count the previous day.
The platform allows users to drill down into emirate-level data, providing granular insights for targeted policy action.
National disease registries and workforce forecasting
Bayan also hosts national registries for conditions including cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and disability. Officials say these registries will enable early detection of concerning trends and strengthen preventive strategies.
In addition, the system tracks medical students by specialisation, university and graduation rates, supporting long-term workforce projections.
“If we want projections for 2030, we can see how many students are studying surgery, for example, and from which university,” Dr. Alya said.
With its integrated approach, Bayan is expected to enhance transparency, improve planning precision and reinforce the UAE’s commitment to data-driven healthcare governance.
