March 2026: Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi today announced its 2026 theme ‘To Sense is to Predict’, reflecting how health systems worldwide can anticipate risk and respond to emerging health challenges, moving towards a health ecosystem that predicts changes and risks early, and supports personalised actions to reduce the burden of disease
‘To Sense is to Predict’ reflects a fundamental shift in how we approach health, moving away from reactive models of care to approaches grounded in early awareness, continuous sensing, and integrated data. It frames health protection as a proactive process, where risks are identified and addressed before they escalate, to support longer, healthier lives for people everywhere.
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Chronic diseases are expected to contribute 47 trillion USD in global costs by 2030, and nearly half of the world’s population lacks full access to essential health services, limiting the reach of early detection. Social-sensing and low-tech mechanisms can extend coverage and enable action where resources are limited, while high-tech sensing can identify risks before complications arise. Together these approaches can support more affordable and equitable prediction models, and help reduce avoidable costs.
“By strengthening how health signals are sensed and interpreted, we can move from disease-based treatment to health-focused prevention with greater confidence, supporting more resilient systems and improved outcomes for communities around the world.” said His Excellency Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.
Alongside its continuous program of projects, including innovation challenges, research and policy outputs, stakeholder dialogues, and impact-led projects, the Future Health Summit, its annual flagship gathering, will take place later this year and bring global leaders together to advance dialogue, collaboration, and action.
