We wouldn’t dream of skipping an annual car service, knowing that catching a small mechanical rattle now could save us from a breakdown later. Yet, when it comes to our health, we tend to follow a different logic. We wait for something to hurt, for a symptom to appear, or for a problem to become too obvious to ignore – often missing the vital window for early detection.
This reactive approach is particularly striking in a place like Dubai. Despite access to world-class medical facilities and a health-screening market growing at 5% annually, systems here still fail to prioritise prevention. They have the tools and the infrastructure, but they haven’t yet bridged the gap between acknowledging the benefit of early detection and making it the standard.
The invisible epidemics
Everyone knows they should probably get cancer screenings. We know about mammograms and colonoscopies, even if we’re putting them off. But there are far commoner diseases silently progressing in millions of people – diseases that are easier to screen for, cheaper to manage early, and deadlier when left undetected.
In the UAE, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death, accounting for 30%–34% of all deaths. Diabetes affects 16.3% of the UAE population – nearly double the global average. Chronic kidney disease affects numerous adults globally, yet most cases are undiagnosed because it develops silently. Cancer remains the third-leading cause of death in the UAE.
These aren’t rare conditions. They’re epidemics hiding in plain sight, progressing without symptoms until the damage is done.
Why early detection changes everything
The research is unambiguous: early detection saves lives and money.
Population-level screening for diabetes can prevent 210 new cases per 10,000 people screened and delay 34 cases of end-stage kidney disease. Detecting and treating diabetes just three years earlier translates to 40% lower five-year cardiovascular risk.
In one UAE screening programme, 27% of participants aged 45–60 had undiagnosed hypertension, prediabetes, or diabetes – conditions they had no idea existed. These are people unaware that they are walking around with ticking time bombs in their bodies.
For cancer, guideline-recommended screenings have saved between 12.2 and 16.2 million life-years. Screening doesn’t just detect cancer early – in cases like colorectal cancer, it can prevent cancer entirely by identifying and removing precancerous polyps before they turn malignant.
We know what works, and we know when to do it. The problem isn’t knowledge – it’s execution.
The psychology of avoidance
Even when the benefits of regular check-ups are clear, many of us still find reasons to delay them. It isn’t always down to a simple lapse in memory – there are often deeper psychological barriers at play. When life feels manageable despite a high workload and family commitments, the prospect of looking for problems can feel like an unnecessary disruption. There is a common, if flawed, logic: if we don't seek a diagnosis, we don't have to deal with the consequences.
This tendency to bury our heads in the sand to avoid uncomfortable information is known as the ostrich effect. Research indicates that nearly a third of adults actively avoid medical information or skip appointments because they are afraid of what a test might reveal.
However, avoiding the conversation doesn't make the underlying issue disappear. The time we feel we are saving now by skipping a screening often pales in comparison to the months or years of intensive treatment required when a condition is finally detected at a much later, more difficult stage.
Healthcare’s missing infrastructure: why systems fail patients
While patient avoidance is real, it’s not the main problem. The main issue is that healthcare organisations, even in Dubai, where hospitals are actively seeking patients and building long-term relationships, have failed to build the infrastructure that makes preventive care systematic rather than optional.
Most healthcare still operates on a fundamentally reactive model: a patient calls with a problem, they’re booked in, they’re treated, they leave, and the next patient is called in. What’s missing is the proactive architecture that ensures people don’t slip through the cracks in the first place.
Your dental practice has already sorted this out. They have your details in their system. Six months after your last visit, you get a text or call reminding you to book. It’s automatic, it’s consistent, and it works.
In contrast, when was the last time your GP’s office proactively reached out to remind you that you’re due for a lipid panel?
The technology exists
This isn’t a technology problem. Patient recall systems exist, they’re proven, and they’re already widely used in other sectors of healthcare.
Automated recall software can integrate directly with electronic health records to identify patients who are overdue for screenings based on age, medical history, and risk factors. These systems can send personalised reminders via SMS, email, or phone, whatever the patient prefers. Studies show that automated appointment reminders can increase screening rates significantly and reduce no-shows.
Dubai already has working examples of this. The Dubai Health Authority’s EJADA AI system identifies high-risk individuals for diabetes and other chronic diseases, reportedly reducing treatment costs by 30% through early intervention. Abu Dhabi’s Weqaya programme has screened thousands for cardiovascular risk factors. The infrastructure is being built.
However, these are government-led programmes focused primarily on national populations. What about the broader healthcare system? What about private hospitals and clinics that serve the majority of Dubai’s population? Where are their patient registries? Where are their recall systems?
We have the means but lack the will
A common explanation from healthcare providers is that patients simply don’t visit them for preventative care. While patient engagement is important, this alone doesn’t explain the persistent gaps in preventive screening.
In the GCC, healthcare providers are actively seeking patients. They invest heavily in marketing, patient experience, and building long-term relationships. Yet the most valuable form of patient engagement, proactive preventive care, is systematically neglected.
We have the patient data. We have their ages, medical histories, risk factors, and contact information. We have electronic health record systems that could flag when someone is overdue for screening. We have automated messaging platforms that could send reminders. We have online booking systems that could let patients schedule with a single click. In other words, we have everything we need except the will to implement it.
What systematic prevention requires
Building a functional preventive care system isn’t complicated. It requires the following:
- Patient registries that track who should be screened for what, based on evidence-based guidelines. If you’re a 50-year-old man with a family history of colorectal cancer, the system should know you need a colonoscopy. If you’re a 42-year-old woman, the system should know you’re due for a mammogram.
- Automated recall protocols that work like the systems already proven in dental care and other specialities. When someone becomes overdue for a screening, the system automatically generates a reminder.
- Care coordination that ensures positive findings lead to follow-up. It’s not enough to screen someone and tell them their blood pressure is high or their blood sugar is borderline. The system needs to ensure they’re booked for follow-up, that lifestyle interventions are discussed, that medication is prescribed if needed, and that they’re back for re-testing at appropriate intervals.
- Patient education integrated into every interaction. When someone books a general checkup, the system should flag what screenings they’re due for and why. The conversation shouldn’t be “we can check your blood pressure today”, it should be “you’re 45, so we’re also going to check your lipid panel and HbA1c, and let’s discuss colorectal cancer screening.”
- Risk stratification that identifies high-priority patients. Someone with diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and a family history of heart disease shouldn’t be in the same recall queue as a healthy 30-year-old. The system should flag high-risk individuals for more frequent and comprehensive screening.
This is basic preventive medicine in 2025. We have the technology, the patient data, and the financial incentive, so let’s use them.
The business case
Preventive care isn’t just ethically correct, it’s financially smart.
Treating early-stage disease is vastly cheaper than treating advanced disease. Managing prediabetes costs a fraction of treating dialysis. Prescribing statins for high cholesterol is cheaper than treating a heart attack.
For healthcare providers in the GCC actively building patient relationships, systematic preventive care creates loyal, engaged patients who come back regularly rather than disappearing until a crisis forces them to seek care elsewhere.
The technology platforms that enable this – patient recall systems, automated messaging, integrated EHR-based screening prompts – are not expensive. They’re off-the-shelf solutions that practices globally are already using. The ROI is demonstrable: better health outcomes, higher patient satisfaction, more consistent revenue, and reduced liability from missed diagnoses.
A call to action
If you’re reading this and thinking, “When was my last health screening?”, that’s exactly the point. As an individual, don’t wait for symptoms. Know what you should be screening for and at what age.
As healthcare providers, we need better systems, patient registries, recall protocols, and integration between preventive care and chronic disease management. They’re good for business and patients alike.
As an employer, your workplace wellness programmes should include screening reminders and time off for preventive appointments. Prevention delivers the biggest return.
We service our cars because we understand that neglect leads to expensive breakdowns, yet our bodies deserve at least the same level of consideration.
This is especially true for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure, and cancer, where the timing of a diagnosis changes everything. Catching these issues early isn't just a matter of better medicine – it is often the defining factor between successfully managing a condition and being completely overwhelmed by it.
