Israel’s largest hospital has signed a strategic cooperation agreement to develop new health technologies with scientists from the United Arab Emirates.
Sheba Medical Center officials ratified a memorandum of understanding on Monday with G42 Healthcare, a major Abu Dhabi-based health technology company focused on artificial intelligence-based innovation.
Speaking from a signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi, Dr. Yoel Har Even, director of Sheba’s international department, said the agreement was one of the biggest steps forward in medicine since Israel and the UAE normalized ties through the Abraham Accords from 2020
“Israel has a lot to offer the region, including our entrepreneurship and innovative approach, and we can learn from and benefit from the UAE, which is a leader in the production of artificial intelligence and technology,” Har Even told The Times of Israel. “This agreement is all about two-way cooperation.
“The Abraham Accords presented a new paradigm for Sheba to realize its vision of providing ‘hope without borders.’ This agreement realizes our commitment to support and learn from our neighbors in the Middle East.
Since the signing of the Abraham Accords in August 2020, Sheba Medical Center has adopted several initiatives to build relationships and cooperation with the Gulf countries in medical care and research.
Then-US Chief of Protocol Cam Henderson assisted then-US President Donald J. Trump, Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan with the documents during the signing of the Abraham Accords, 15 September 2020, on the South Lawn of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks, via Wikimedia Commons)
Sheba has partnered with Bahrain’s top hospitals on research initiatives and has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Health in Abu Dhabi to develop improved healthcare services.
In the context of the G42 Healthcare agreement, plans are already being drawn up for cooperation in stem cell research, infrastructure building, cardiology, oncology, obstetrics, gynecology, diabetes and fertility programs.
Dr. Fahad Al Marzouki, chief operating officer of G42 Healthcare, said he expects his company and Sheba to work together to “advance scientific and ethical research, conduct clinical trials and report, expand and provide access to innovation in game-changing life cures’.
