ABU DHABI, 11th November 2025 – Abu Dhabi Health Data Services (ADHDS), part of the M42 group, has been officially recognised by SNOMED International as a Global Reference Site for Data Standardisation and SNOMED CT implementation. This recognition highlights ADHDS’s leadership in advancing healthcare data interoperability both regionally and globally.
Milestone Achievement Through Malaffi
The recognition follows the success of Malaffi, the first Health Information Exchange in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, a strategic initiative by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH). Malaffi has achieved large-scale implementation of the SNOMED CT data standard, setting a benchmark for consistent healthcare data representation across the emirate and beyond.
The formal recognition was confirmed through a Memorandum of Understanding signed at the 8th ZIMAM Digital Health Forum by Kareem Shahin, Chief Executive Officer of ADHDS, and Don Sweete, Chief Executive Officer of SNOMED International.
Role and Responsibilities as a Global Reference Site
As a Global Reference Site, ADHDS will provide guidance to healthcare systems across the UAE and the broader region, sharing its methodologies, governance frameworks, and best practices. The organisation’s expertise in multi-stakeholder collaboration, tailored clinical reference sets, and quality assurance processes offers a scalable model for other healthcare systems aiming to standardise data effectively.
Data Standardisation and Implementation
Malaffi connects more than 3,000 healthcare facilities in Abu Dhabi, with over 52,000 authorised users accessing 3.5 million clinical records. The SNOMED CT implementation covers various clinical domains, including diagnoses, allergies, chronic diseases, family and social history, and diagnostic procedures. This ensures semantic consistency across diverse healthcare settings.
The implementation improves clinical data quality at the source electronic medical records (EMRs), eliminates the need for third-party terminology servers, and supports AI-driven healthcare applications such as advanced analytics, predictive modeling, and enhanced clinical decision-making.
Impact on Healthcare Delivery
The standardised data infrastructure enables real-time population health monitoring, disease registry management, and evidence-based policymaking while improving patient safety and care coordination at the point of care.
The successful implementation was guided by the DoH’s coding standards issued in November 2021 and the UAE’s membership in SNOMED International. Combined with ADHDS’s dedicated support and quality monitoring, this framework ensures sustainable adoption across the healthcare ecosystem.
Leadership Insights
Ibrahim Al Jallaf, Executive Director of Digital Health Sector at DoH, stated, “The success of Malaffi’s SNOMED CT implementation demonstrates how public-private partnerships can drive transformational change in healthcare delivery in Abu Dhabi.”
Kareem Shahin, CEO of M42’s Digital Health Solutions, added, “This recognition positions ADHDS as an interoperability centre of excellence, ready to support digital transformation initiatives across the UAE and the broader Middle East region.”
Don Sweete, CEO of SNOMED International, commented, “ADHDS and Malaffi represent the gold standard for healthcare data standardisation. Their achievement in connecting thousands of healthcare facilities while maintaining semantic consistency demonstrates the transformative power of SNOMED CT.”