Imagine visiting a hospital in Abu Dhabi and your doctor instantly accessing your entire medical history — lab results, prescriptions, radiology reports — even if they were created at another clinic months ago. No waiting, no paperwork, no lost reports. Sounds futuristic, right?
That’s the reality Malaffi has created.

Malaffi, which means “my file” in Arabic, is Abu Dhabi’s Unified Health Data Platform, connecting healthcare facilities, professionals, and patients through a single, secure system. It’s a cornerstone of the emirate’s digital health transformation, enabling real-time health information exchange (HIE) and ensuring every citizen receives safe, efficient, and personalized care.

In this article, you’ll discover how this system works, why it’s essential for the UAE’s healthcare future, and how it benefits you — whether you’re a patient, healthcare provider, or policymaker.

What is Malaffi?

Malaffi is Abu Dhabi’s official Health Information Exchange (HIE) platform, launched by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) in partnership with Abu Dhabi Health Data Services (ADHDS), a subsidiary of G42 Healthcare.

Its purpose is simple but powerful — to unify every patient’s medical information from different healthcare providers into a single, real-time digital record. This unified record enables faster diagnosis, safer treatment, and better health outcomes. By connecting public and private hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and laboratories, it creates a connected ecosystem that ensures no matter where you receive care in Abu Dhabi, your doctor always has the full picture.

The Vision Behind Malaffi

The UAE government has made digital transformation a national priority, especially in healthcare. Malaffi was born from the Abu Dhabi Health Information Exchange Policy, designed to enhance care quality, improve patient safety, and strengthen health system efficiency.

The vision is clear — create a data-driven healthcare system that empowers both providers and patients. By consolidating medical records, this system reduces fragmentation and enables smarter healthcare decisions.

In essence, Malaffi supports the UAE’s long-term Vision 2030 goals by improving healthcare quality, operational efficiency, and public health outcomes.

How Malaffi Works

It connects healthcare facilities through a secure, centralized digital network that continuously synchronizes patient data from multiple systems.

Here’s how it works in practice:

Data Collection: Each participating facility contributes patient data — such as diagnoses, allergies, lab results, and medications — to the platform.
Real-Time Access: Authorized clinicians can instantly view this data when treating a patient.
Interoperability: Malaffi uses international standards (like HL7 and FHIR) to ensure data compatibility across different Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems.
Secure Exchange: Data is encrypted and shared under strict privacy controls, ensuring compliance with ADHICS (Abu Dhabi Healthcare Information and Cybersecurity Standard).

This seamless exchange ensures that your healthcare information travels with you, regardless of where you seek treatment within Abu Dhabi.

Key Features of Malaffi

Malaffi isn’t just a data repository — it’s a dynamic, intelligent platform. Some of its most notable features include:

Unified Patient Record: Combines health data from multiple facilities into one centralized view.
Clinical Viewer: Allows healthcare providers to securely access real-time patient data.
Data Integration Tools: Enables EMR systems to connect seamlessly using international health data exchange standards.
Population Health Analytics: Provides insights for public health monitoring, disease trends, and policy-making.
Secure Consent Management: Ensures patient data is shared only when appropriate and authorized.

These features make it one of the most advanced health data exchange platforms in the Middle East.

Benefits for Patients

As a patient, Malaffi gives you control, safety, and peace of mind.

Here’s how it helps you:

Improved Care Continuity: Your medical records follow you across all healthcare facilities in Abu Dhabi.
Faster, Accurate Diagnosis: Doctors have complete access to your history, minimizing errors and duplication.
Reduced Repetition: You no longer need to repeat tests or carry medical reports from one facility to another.
Emergency Readiness: In emergencies, clinicians can instantly view your allergies, medications, or chronic conditions.
Empowered Decision-Making: Access to accurate information allows for personalized, informed care decisions.

Malaffi turns fragmented care into coordinated care — making every health encounter safer and smarter.

Benefits for Healthcare Providers

For doctors, nurses, and healthcare organizations, Malaffi is a game-changer.

Comprehensive Clinical View: Access to complete patient data improves clinical accuracy and speeds up decision-making.
Enhanced Efficiency: Reduces administrative burdens and unnecessary investigations.
Improved Patient Outcomes: With better data, providers can make evidence-based treatment decisions.
Collaboration Across Facilities: Supports communication among multidisciplinary care teams.
Research and Analytics: Enables healthcare professionals to analyze data for clinical research and predictive modeling.

In short, Malaffi transforms the way healthcare professionals deliver care — from reactive to proactive, and from isolated to connected.

Data Privacy and Security

Given that Malaffi handles sensitive health data, security and privacy are top priorities.

Malaffi complies with the Abu Dhabi Healthcare Information and Cybersecurity Standard (ADHICS), which defines strict regulations for data handling, access control, and system protection.

Here’s what that means for you:

Data Encryption: All data shared through Malaffi is encrypted in transit and at rest.
Access Control: Only authorized healthcare providers can access your data.
Audit Trails: Every data access is logged and monitored.
Patient Confidentiality: No information is shared without consent, except in critical care situations.

By following ADHICS guidelines, Malaffi ensures the highest level of cybersecurity and patient trust.

Integration with Abu Dhabi’s Healthcare Ecosystem

Malaffi connects seamlessly with hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, laboratories, and even insurance systems.

It currently integrates over 2,000 healthcare facilities across Abu Dhabi, including SEHA, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and Mediclinic.

The platform also supports integration with national and regional digital health initiatives like Riayati and NABIDH, ensuring alignment across the UAE.

This integration allows healthcare providers to deliver consistent, interoperable, and data-driven care across the country.

Malaffi’s Role in Population Health Management

Beyond individual patient care, Malaffi plays a strategic role in population health management.

By aggregating anonymized data, health authorities can:

Track disease outbreaks in real time.
Identify chronic disease patterns.
Monitor public health trends.
Develop targeted wellness campaigns.
Support predictive analytics for preventive care.

For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Malaffi’s data-sharing capabilities helped authorities manage testing, vaccination, and case tracking efficiently.

Malaffi isn’t just transforming healthcare at the patient level — it’s strengthening the health resilience of the entire Abu Dhabi population.

Challenges and the Future of Malaffi

Like any large-scale transformation, Malaffi faces challenges — from integrating legacy systems to training healthcare staff.

However, the DoH and ADHDS continuously improve interoperability, user experience, and data analytics capabilities.

Looking ahead, Malaffi aims to:

Expand integration with national platforms like Riayati.
Enable patient portals for direct access to health records.
Incorporate AI and predictive analytics for early disease detection.
Support precision medicine and personalized care initiatives.

The future of Malaffi lies in creating a fully connected digital health ecosystem — one where every citizen’s health journey is supported by technology, collaboration, and trust.

Malaffi is more than a technological achievement — it’s the foundation of a smarter, safer, and more connected healthcare system in Abu Dhabi.

By linking every healthcare provider and patient through a unified data platform, Malaffi ensures that care is consistent, informed, and efficient.

As a patient, you benefit from seamless experiences and better outcomes. As a provider, you gain access to powerful data that improves diagnosis and treatment.

Malaffi represents a new era of healthcare — one where data drives wellness, technology enhances care, and every health decision is smarter than before.

If you’re part of the UAE’s healthcare system, now’s the time to embrace Malaffi — because unified data isn’t just the future; it’s the present.

FAQs

1. What is Malaffi in Abu Dhabi?

Malaffi is Abu Dhabi’s Unified Health Data Platform, connecting healthcare facilities to share and access patient information securely and in real time.

2. Who manages Malaffi?

Malaffi is managed by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Data Services (ADHDS), a G42 Healthcare company.

3. How does Malaffi protect patient data?

Malaffi complies with ADHICS standards, using encryption, access control, and continuous monitoring to safeguard all patient data.

4. Can patients access their Malaffi records directly?

Currently, Malaffi is primarily for healthcare providers, but plans are underway to enable patient access through dedicated portals.

5. How many healthcare facilities are connected to Malaffi?

Over 2,000 facilities across Abu Dhabi are connected, including public and private hospitals, clinics, and laboratories.