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Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, stated that the country is advancing with confidence to rank among leading global nations as he opened the fifth edition of the Healthcare Leaders Summit. According to a report by the Emirates News Agency, the minister credited the leadership of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with shaping a society that welcomes diverse populations, leverages technology, promotes research and innovation, and prioritizes the health of citizens and residents. Sheikh Nahyan added that this vision has transformed the UAE into a centre of healthcare excellence featuring exceptional facilities, accomplished professionals and productive global partnerships while pursuing an ambition to help set the very standards by which such excellence is defined, measured and judged.
The summit, hosted by Forbes Middle East in partnership with PureHealth under Sheikh Nahyan’s patronage, runs through September 23 at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental in Abu Dhabi. A WAM assessment found that the event has attracted more than 100 speakers and around 3,000 participants, including policymakers, healthcare executives, scientists, experts and specialists from the UAE, the wider region and beyond. Sessions at the gathering, themed Defining Global Standards in Healthcare Excellence, explore key transformations and priorities that are reshaping the future of healthcare, with particular focus on global partnerships, fertility, pharmaceutical innovation and systemic change.
Sheikh Nahyan welcomed participants by noting that the chosen theme prompts essential questions about the meaning of excellence at a time of swift evolution in science, medicine, technology and patient expectations. The minister’s remarks, carried by the Emirates News Agency, underscored that the UAE seeks not merely to replicate achievements elsewhere but to contribute directly to establishing new benchmarks. Such positioning aligns with national development priorities that place health and wellbeing at the foundation of societal strength.
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi figures show that designated Centres of Excellence have delivered specialised care for more than 3,000 complex cases since their launch in 2023 while supporting 17 clinical trials, four training programmes and eight international accreditations. These facilities concentrate on advanced fields including adult and paediatric cardiac care, stroke treatment, burn management, stem cell transplantation and multi-organ procedures. The authority’s data places the number of families receiving such treatment locally at 1,664, thereby reducing overseas travel for medical services and reinforcing domestic capacity.
A Mordor Intelligence sector outlook projected the regional cold-chain market, an important element of pharmaceutical and vaccine distribution, to expand at roughly 9 percent annually through the remainder of the decade on the back of commercial and supply-chain growth. PureHealth, the summit’s strategic partner, has emerged as a key player in integrating services across the UAE’s healthcare landscape, according to organisers. The collaboration with Forbes Middle East for this annual gathering reflects sustained efforts to convene international expertise and foster dialogue on setting elevated standards.
Sheikh Nahyan has maintained a consistent focus on healthcare advancement, as evidenced by his 2024 inauguration of the Burjeel Cancer Institute where he similarly highlighted presidential directives to deliver world-class services. The minister’s repeated engagements, documented across multiple WAM reports, illustrate a policy trajectory aimed at building a resilient, innovative and patient-centred system. This year’s summit builds upon that foundation by assembling stakeholders to address emerging challenges and opportunities in the sector.
