APP OF THE MONTH
Sahatna App: Digital Healthcare In Abu Dhabi
Sahatna is the official health app of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, giving residents one place to book doctors, join video consultations, view medical records and track their wellness. Its name means "Our health" in Arabic. By connecting healthcare facilities across the emirate in a single app, it turns managing everyday health into a few taps.
Product snapshot
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1M+ users
Sahatna passed one million users in its first year, according to the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.
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4.9 / 5
Google Play rating for the Sahatna app, based on 5K+ reviews.
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60%+ facilities
More than 60% of Abu Dhabi's healthcare facilities were connected to the app at launch.
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24/7 booking
Appointments can be booked in the app around the clock.
Sahatna Growth Insights: Building A Scalable Digital Health App
Digital health apps grow through connected stages: sign-ups bring residents, connected facilities and records raise engagement, and fast booking, reminders and wellness tools drive repeat usage. Explore how this growth funnel can evolve across a Sahatna-like health app during its first year.
From A Regulator-Led Health App To A Unified Abu Dhabi Health Platform
Sahatna was unveiled by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the emirate's healthcare regulator, at GITEX Global 2024 in October 2024. It was built with Abu Dhabi Health Data Services (ADHDS), the company that also operates Malaffi, Abu Dhabi's health information exchange. At launch, more than 60% of the emirate's healthcare facilities were already connected to the app, and DoH signed an agreement with e& UAE to support facility connectivity using SD-WAN technology.
- Founded
- 2024Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Developed by
- Department of HealthAbu Dhabi, with Abu Dhabi Health Data Services
- Platform evolution
- Booking & records → Family & wellness → AI assistant → TAMM
- Core model
- Residents ↔ Sahatna ↔ Facilities & Malaffi
Technology Stack For A Sahatna-Like Digital Health App
An app like Sahatna is more than an appointment screen. It is a connected health ecosystem that must handle digital identity, consent, facility integrations, health records, teleconsultation, wearables and data protection at scale.
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React Native One codebase for iOS and Android with a fast, native-feeling health experience. -
Node.js Scalable backend services for appointments, notifications, profiles and consent management. -
PostgreSQL Reliable relational storage for appointments, patient profiles, dependents and audit trails. -
Apache Kafka Event streaming for appointment events, result notifications and audit logging. -
Redis Low-latency caching for live slot availability, session data and rate-limiting. -
AWS Secure, scalable cloud infrastructure with in-country hosting options to support health-data residency expectations. -
HL7 FHIR APIs & Integrations Integration layer for health information exchanges, hospital systems, laboratories, insurers, wearables and identity providers such as UAE PASS. -
Security & Compliance Encryption, consent management, role-based access, audit logging and healthcare data-protection controls.
Have An App Idea Like Sahatna? Let's Build It.
From strategy to launch, we design, develop and scale digital health platforms with appointment booking, teleconsultation, health records, family profiles, wellness tracking and AI-powered symptom checking.
17+ Years of Software Engineering Experience
How Booking An Appointment And Viewing Records On Sahatna Works
From signing in with UAE PASS to viewing your results, managing your health in Sahatna takes five simple steps. Select a step to see what the user does and what the platform manages in the background.
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User: Downloads the Sahatna app and signs in with UAE PASS. Guests can start browsing before they register.App: Lets guests search for facilities, view physician profiles and check availability. Using other home-page features prompts registration through UAE PASS, and the phone number and email in the profile come from UAE PASS.
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User: Searches by facility, specialty or physician, applies filters such as physician gender and spoken language, and opens "View full profile". A heart icon saves favourite physicians.App: Shows matching physicians with their open slots, and also lists recently booked and preferred doctors.
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User: Taps "Book an Appointment", chooses In-person or Teleconsultation, picks a date and time slot, and selects the patient (themselves or a linked dependent).App: Shows open slots around the clock, since booking is available 24/7. At SEHA facilities, only in-person appointments can be booked, as "New" or "Follow-up" visits.
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User: Accepts the terms, chooses whether to consent to recording for a teleconsultation, and confirms the booking.App: Adds the appointment to My Appointments and sends email and SMS reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before. Upcoming appointments can be rescheduled from My Appointments (View All) if the physician has open slots.
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User: Joins the video consultation in the app, or visits the facility, then opens My Health to see lab, microbiology and radiology reports, medications, allergies, immunisations and other records.App: Runs teleconsultations over an encrypted connection and pulls records from facilities connected to Malaffi. New results may appear with a delay, and an automated notification arrives when they are available.
Sign In With UAE PASS
Sahatna App Screens & Digital Health User Experience
Five screens from the Sahatna experience. Swipe or drag to explore the user journey, from the dashboard and appointments to video consultations, wellness tracking and health records.
Your Health, Made Easier
Sahatna App Features For Everyday Health
Every part of the health journey, from booking a doctor to checking results, tracking wellness or managing a child's records, is connected through one app. Select a feature to explore how it works
From idea to launch
Ready To Build Your Own Digital Health & Wellness Platform?
Our team designs, builds and scales platforms like Sahatna, from appointment booking and teleconsultation to health records, family profiles, wellness tracking and AI assistants.
Popular Sahatna Alternatives In UAE Digital Healthcare
The UAE digital healthcare category is competitive and fast-moving. These apps serve appointments, records and virtual care through different combinations of hospital networks, government platforms and teleconsultation.
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SEHA
Abu Dhabi public healthcare
Mobile app and patient portal from Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), with UAE PASS login for patients.
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Burjeel Health
Hospital group app
Appointment booking, video consultations, lab and radiology reports, medication tracking and reminders, and UAE PASS login.
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Mediclinic
Hospital group app
Appointment booking with Mediclinic doctors, access to health records for past visits and reports, and UAE Pass login.
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Aster Hospitals UAE
Hospital group app
Appointment booking across Aster facilities, teleconsultation, lab results, prescription refills and pharmacy home delivery.
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DHA
Dubai government health
Dubai Health Authority's app with a health dashboard for appointment history, lab results and medication information, plus UAE Pass login.
How To Develop An App Like Sahatna: 10 Key Steps
Ten stages can take a digital health app idea from validation to a scalable platform for appointments, health records and wellness in the UAE. Scroll the timeline or use the arrows.
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01
Research & Market Validation
Study UAE healthcare access, patient journeys, competitors, regulatory expectations and the needs of residents and families. -
02
Product Strategy
Define the platform model, target segments, MVP scope, revenue or funding streams and success metrics. -
03
UX/UI Design
Map sign-in, booking and records journeys; design clear, trustworthy, bilingual (English/Arabic) interfaces for all ages. -
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MVP Development
Build the essentials (doctor search, appointment booking, reminders and basic records view) to validate demand before expanding. -
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Backend & API Development
Develop the booking engine, notifications, patient profiles and integrations with facility scheduling systems. -
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Identity, Consent & Onboarding Module
Implement UAE PASS sign-in, Emirates ID-based dependent linking, consent management and profile-sharing controls. -
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Health Records, Wellness & AI Module
Integrate health information exchanges and facility systems, wearables, an AI symptom checker and a patient assistant. -
08
Security & Compliance
Add encryption, role-based access, audit logs and controls aligned with UAE health-data and data-protection requirements. -
09
Testing & Deployment
Test bookings, video consultations, edge cases, failure handling, security and load before production launch. -
10
Launch, Scale & Optimize
Launch, monitor booking success and engagement, then add facilities, services and features as usage grows.
New Technologies For A Smarter Sahatna-Like Digital Health App
A modern health app can go well beyond booking and records. By combining AI, wearables, secure identity and interoperable APIs, a Sahatna-like platform can improve access, support prevention and open new service models.
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AI & Machine Learning
- What it does
- Analyzes symptoms, activity history and care patterns to personalize guidance.
- Why it matters
- Residents need quick, relevant guidance on where and when to seek care.
- How it improves the app
- Smarter doctor recommendations, personalized wellness goals, triage support and better appointment suggestions.
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Generative AI
- What it does
- Understands natural-language questions and explains health information in plain language.
- Why it matters
- Medical reports and terms are hard to understand without help.
- How it improves the app
- Report summaries, symptom guidance, multilingual help in English and Arabic, and in-app navigation support, with clear medical disclaimers.
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Predictive Analytics
- What it does
- Uses historical care and activity data to flag risks and forecast demand.
- Why it matters
- Prevention works best when risks are spotted early.
- How it improves the app
- Preventive-care reminders, risk flags, no-show prediction and capacity planning for facilities.
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Wearables & IoT
- What it does
- Connects smartwatches and health sensors for continuous activity, sleep and vitals data.
- Why it matters
- Daily data shows patterns that occasional visits can miss.
- How it improves the app
- Step and sleep tracking, smart goals and data that doctors can review with the patient's consent.
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Biometrics & Device Security
- What it does
- Authenticates users with face, fingerprint and device-bound credentials.
- Why it matters
- Health data is highly sensitive and needs strong protection without friction.
- How it improves the app
- Biometric login, step-up authentication for records and trusted-device management.
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Computer Vision
- What it does
- Reads documents and images such as lab reports, insurance cards and prescriptions.
- Why it matters
- Manual entry is slow and error-prone.
- How it improves the app
- Insurance card capture, report digitization and image-quality checks.
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Voice AI
- What it does
- Lets users search, book and ask questions through natural voice commands.
- Why it matters
- Voice makes the app easier to use for everyone, including users who prefer Arabic.
- How it improves the app
- Voice-led doctor search, appointment queries and hands-free reminders in Arabic and English.
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Real-Time Video For Telehealth
- What it does
- Delivers secure, low-latency video consultations between patients and doctors.
- Why it matters
- Consultation quality depends on a stable, private connection.
- How it improves the app
- Encrypted video visits, waiting rooms, consent-based recording and fallback for weak connections.
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Interoperability APIs (HL7 FHIR)
- What it does
- Connects the app to hospitals, laboratories, insurers and health information exchanges using healthcare standards.
- Why it matters
- A patient's data sits across many facilities and systems.
- How it improves the app
- One consolidated record, faster facility onboarding and consistent data across providers.
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Advanced Cloud & Edge Infrastructure
- What it does
- Uses scalable, observable, multi-zone cloud architecture with automated deployment.
- Why it matters
- Health apps must stay available during peak booking times and public health campaigns.
- How it improves the app
- Autoscaling, high availability, disaster recovery and faster response times.
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AI Fraud & Access Anomaly Detection
- What it does
- Monitors logins, profile sharing and record access for unusual behavior in real time.
- Why it matters
- Unauthorized access to health data is a serious risk to trust and privacy.
- How it improves the app
- Anomaly alerts, access audit trails, session controls and adaptive step-up checks.
Access Sahatna On iOS & Android
Download the Sahatna app and sign in with UAE PASS to book appointments, view your health records and track your wellness from your phone.
Investment guide
Approximate Cost To Build An App Like Sahatna
- Patient & dependent profiles
- Appointments & teleconsultation
- iOS & Android platforms
- UAE PASS & consent management
- Health records integrations
- AI symptom checker & assistant
- Wearable integrations
- UX/UI complexity
- Backend architecture
- Security & compliance
- Admin & operations dashboard
- Scalability & infrastructure
- Scope
Frequently Asked Questions
Find clear answers to common questions about developing a Sahatna-like digital health app, from cost and features to technology, compliance and scalability.