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Dubai Unveils Ambitious Initiatives to Elevate Lifestyle, Health, and Urban Development

Lifestyle

Dubai is actively rolling out a series of ambitious initiatives and projects aimed at significantly enhancing the quality of life, health, and urban landscape for its residents and visitors. These endeavors span mental well-being, advanced healthcare technology, community development, and sustainable urban planning, underscoring Dubai’s commitment to becoming a leading global city.

Advancing Mental Well-Being with AI

Dubai is making significant strides in mental health care through its Mental Wealth Strategy, launched in July 2024. This comprehensive framework, aligned with the Dubai Social Agenda 33, focuses on awareness, early prevention, accessibility, and innovation in mental health services.

  • Self-Help App: A new AI-powered self-help app is set to launch by the end of 2025, offering daily strategies and techniques to promote mental resilience and manage stress.
  • GP Training: Over 125 general practitioners have been trained to identify mental health indicators during routine check-ups, with more training planned.
  • Anti-Burnout Sessions: Awareness sessions are being conducted for employees in both public and private sectors to address work-related stress and burnout.
  • Increased Psychiatric Beds: The number of psychiatric beds in both government and private hospitals is set to double by the end of 2025.
  • Stigma Reduction: The strategy uses the term "mental wealth" to foster a positive, holistic view of psychological well-being and reduce stigma.

AI-Powered Healthcare for Risk Detection and Cost Reduction

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) through its EJADA AI system to proactively detect health risks, particularly for chronic diseases like diabetes, and reduce treatment costs. This initiative aims to improve the quality of life for individuals at high risk and cut healthcare expenditures by up to 30 percent.

  • Early Detection: EJADA AI analyzes vast datasets (over 360 million patient activities) to identify individuals susceptible to diabetes and other chronic diseases.
  • Cost Savings: Proactive preventive measures based on AI data are projected to reduce the financial burden of diabetes treatment by 25-30 percent.
  • Comprehensive Solution: The system provides customized insights for chronic diseases at all stages, aiding in early intervention and management of complications.
  • Strategic Focus: DHA has identified 30 major diseases as priorities for the system until 2025, based on patient numbers, claim frequency, and cost burden.

Revitalizing Community Spaces with ‘Hewi Dubai’

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the ‘Hewi Dubai’ initiative to revitalize traditional Emirati neighborhoods and create new, human-centric community spaces. This project aims to strengthen social bonds and promote active lifestyles.

  • Community-Centric Design: The initiative focuses on co-designing public spaces with residents, informed by data and grounded in culture.
  • Hewi Nad Al Sheba 4: This pilot project exemplifies the new model, featuring shaded gathering areas (Al Decha), flexible indoor-outdoor spaces for events (Al Saaha), and comfortable seating areas overlooking children’s play zones (Al Yalsa).
  • Intergenerational Bonding: The spaces are designed to bring generations together, offering safe and welcoming environments for families, elders, and children.

Digital Transformation and Urban Development

Dubai continues its digital transformation journey with initiatives like the Dubai Internet of Things (IoT) Strategy and the Data Wealth initiative, alongside a new vision for future cities by Dubai Municipality.

  • Dubai IoT Strategy: Aims to build the world’s most advanced IoT ecosystem to improve lives, protect digital wealth, and achieve a 100 percent paperless government by 2021.
  • Data Wealth Initiative: Safeguards the emirate’s digital assets, with an expected generation of AED 33.8 billion in three years.
  • Future Cities Vision: Dubai Municipality’s report, "Cities’ Livability in the Age of Global Citizenship," introduces the C3P3 framework (Connected, Collaborative, Circular, Protected, Proactive, and Present) for sustainable urban planning.
  • Dubai Urban Plan 2040: A global benchmark aiming for 80 percent of the population to reside within a 20-minute reach of essential services, protecting 60 percent of land for nature, and providing 11 square meters of public green space per capita.

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