UAE centre of healthcare excellence under President’s leadership: Sheikh Nahyan

Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, affirmed that the United Arab Emirates is moving forward with confidence and strength to be among the world’s leading nations, under the leadership of the President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who has clearly defined the country that everyone is expected to build: one that welcomes people from around the world, puts technology to work, supports research and innovation, and cares for the health and wellbeing of citizens and residents alike. Sheikh Nahyan explained that the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has made the UAE a centre of healthcare excellence, with exceptional facilities, accomplished professionals and productive global partnerships, stressing that the country’s ambition is not simply to adopt what others have achieved, but also to help establish the standards by which healthcare excellence will be defined, measured and judged.

He made the remarks as he inaugurated the fifth edition of the Healthcare Leaders Summit – Abu Dhabi 2026, held under his patronage and hosted by Forbes Middle East on September 22–23 in partnership with PureHealth at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi. Held this year under the theme “Defining Global Standards in Healthcare Excellence,” the summit brings together more than 100 speakers and around 3,000 participants, including policymakers, healthcare executives, scientists, experts and specialists from the UAE, the wider region and around the world, to explore the key transformations and priorities reshaping the future of healthcare.

Welcoming healthcare leaders in his opening address, Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Abu Dhabi and to the fifth edition of the Healthcare Leaders Summit.” Sheikh Nahyan added that the summit’s theme, “Defining Global Standards in Healthcare Excellence,” raises an important question about what excellence should mean at a time when science, medicine, technology and patients’ expectations are changing so rapidly.

He affirmed that the United Arab Emirates is moving forward with confidence and strength to be among the leading nations of the world, guided by the President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He said that His Highness the President has been clear about the country everyone is expected to build: one that welcomes people from around the world, puts technology to work, supports research and innovation, and cares for the health and wellbeing of citizens and residents alike.

He added that the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has made the UAE a centre of healthcare excellence, with exceptional facilities, accomplished professionals and productive global partnerships. He affirmed that the UAE’s ambition is not simply to adopt what others have achieved, but also to help establish the standards by which excellence will be defined, measured and judged.

He said that health systems around the world face a growing burden from chronic and preventable diseases. He explained that longer lives are one of humanity’s great achievements, but they require greater emphasis on prevention, early diagnosis and helping people remain healthy. He affirmed that these challenges are among the reasons the Healthcare Leaders Summit matters so much.

He noted that, over the course of two days, the summit provides participants with an opportunity to examine how healthcare can be improved and delivered. He explained that he did not consider himself qualified to comment on the technical aspects of the participants’ work, but wished to offer several general observations as an interested layman concerned with healthcare and its future.

In his first observation, he affirmed that advances in technology have opened extraordinary possibilities for diagnosis, treatment, prevention and research. Technology can help people see what previously could not be seen, recognise patterns they might otherwise miss and make knowledge available with extraordinary speed. Nevertheless, he stressed that no matter how powerful technology becomes, the art of medicine will still require a physician to identify the problem, prescribe the treatment and interact directly and humanely with the patient.

He called for close partnerships between decision-makers, pharmaceutical companies, technology developers, physicians, biomedical engineers, hospitals and colleges of medicine.

Khuloud Al Omian, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Middle East, said: “This edition comes at a time of accelerating scientific and technological transformation that is redefining the standards of healthcare excellence. From Abu Dhabi, the summit brings together expertise and perspectives that help shape these standards and advance a future where healthcare is more proactive, precise and responsive to people’s needs, reflecting the UAE’s leading position in shaping the future of the sector.”

Day one welcomed prominent figures, healthcare leaders and experts, including Dr Amin Hussain Al Ameeri, Asst. Undersecretary - Health Regulation Sector, Ministry of Health and Prevention; H.E. Dr Rashed Alsuwaidi, Director General, Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre; Shaista Asif, Group CEO, PureHealth; Peter Fedichev, Co-Founder & CEO, GERO; and Madhu Sasidhar, President & CEO, Hospital Division, Apollo Hospitals, alongside leading executives and experts from the UAE and around the world.