Emirates Health Services adopts AI-based vision screening

Emirates Health Services has partnered with Emitac Healthcare Solutions to onboard a new smartphone-enabled, integrated vision screening application as part of their routine check-up for children, the technology is developed by the U.S digital health company “GoCheck”.

GoCheck Kids, used by over 6,500 pediatric care team members in the U.S. and Europe, is a vision screening platform developed for the detection of vision abnormalities that often lead to learning deficiencies and permanent vision loss, including blindness if not identified early. The technology is compact and simple to use as it is an iPhone partnered with an AI-enabled vision screening application, a data management portal, and an image review service to empower healthcare providers with tools to screen and manage the vision of children ages 1-18.

“Early detection of vision problems for children is an important step in preventing any major future complications. The advanced technologies support this approach as they provide the medical staff with accurate and innovative solutions that can detect health problems before they get worse and contribute to treating them more quickly and effectively,” said Mrs. Mubaraka Ibrahim, Acting. Chief Information Officer of Information Sector at the Emirates Health Services (EHS).

Aisha Suhail, director of primary healthcare at the ministry of health said, “This partnership between Emirates Health Services and Emitac Healthcare Solutions will enable us to perform a new comprehensive vision test for children. This test has proven its effectiveness in many countries around the world and contributed to treating children at the right time during their growth. This will allow us to treat vision problems correctly and control the damages to the vision. This partnership emphasizes the importance of innovation in healthcare to provide advanced and scalable services which is something that Emirates Health Services is committed to ensuring a happy and healthy life for children.”

“Our partnership with GoCheck enables us to reinforce the mission of Emitac Healthcare Solutions to offer clinical innovation through new technology. Launching GoCheck at Emirates Health Services facilities brings value and strength to the pediatric healthcare sector in the UAE. Together, we will take vision screening in children in the UAE to the next level, fulfilling the market need for innovative solutions,” said Mr. Mohd Kenanah, CEO of Emitac Healthcare Solutions.

“The partnership with Emirates Health Services is the start of a great public health initiative to screen and protect the vision of the next generation of children in the UAE while empowering pediatric healthcare providers with smarter technology to detect vision diseases in advance,” said Kevon Saber, Chief Executive Officer of GoCheck.

The new technology, which will be applied in school health clinics and children's outpatient clinics at the Emirates Health Services Corporation, depends on photo screening instead of traditional white wall charts. The photo screening allows paediatricians and nurses to detect vision issues during early childhood that are not detected by other methods as it does not require children to read or give a verbal response, which enables the pediatric healthcare sector to screen the youngest children who cannot read or talk. The screening outcome helps a pediatrician to decide whether the child needs to be referred to an ophthalmologist for further examination.

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About Emitac Healthcare Solutions

Jointly owned by two Emirati conglomerates, The Bukhatir Group & The Ghobash Group, Emitac was established in 1976. Since then, the company group has been growing and flourishing by meeting the most challenging requirements of a fast-evolving landscape through impeccable business acumen and technology. The organization covers several industries such as healthcare and IT, finance, the public sector and many more.

Emitac Group has established a solid presence within the region and surrounding countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Oman. There are currently four different companies that work and functions under its umbrella in the United Arab Emirates, and two other companies in the regional market. 

Emitac Healthcare Solutions is very well connected and is a national powerhouse when it comes to healthcare solutions, especially in the domain of connected care and digital transformation.   

About GoCheck

GoCheck, the creator of GoCheck Kids, serves over 6,500 pediatric team members in their quest to prevent vision impairment, the most prevalent disabling condition among children in the U.S. and many countries around the globe. GoCheck Kids made early screening affordable and accessible and has impacted over 4 million children within the past years. GoCheck is backed by Interwest Partners, FCA Venture Partners, Mucker Capital, Sovereign’s Capital and Marc Benioff (Salesforce founder/CEO).