Burjeel adds 4-surgeon AI hip and knee centre in Abu Dhabi

Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi has launched an Advanced Hip & Knee Surgery Center with four orthopedic surgeons, AI-assisted surgical planning and rehabilitation services, according to a Gulf News report updated on 13 October 2026.

For Dubai operators, the signal is competitive: premium orthopedic centres are using AI planning, implant templating and multidisciplinary rehab to defend higher-acuity work. In Abu Dhabi, the same model sits under Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH) licensing and payer review. In the northern emirates, Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) providers will face the same patient question: does AI change the result, the price, or the approval pathway?

What Burjeel has added

The centre will treat hip and knee degeneration, sports injuries, complex fractures, primary joint replacement and revision joint replacement. Gulf News named Dr Oussama Chaar, Consultant Orthopedic Hip & Knee Surgery, as part of the team and reported that he has 35 years of experience, more than 18,000 hip and knee replacements and more than 2,000 complex procedures.

The report also named Dr Hazem Zedan Hassouna, Consultant Orthopedic Hip & Knee Surgery, with more than 20 years of experience, plus Dr Youssef Beheiry and Dr Alameldin Sobhe, both specialists with more than 10 years in the field.

“Technology is only one part of good patient care.”
Dr Oussama Chaar, Consultant Orthopedic Hip & Knee Surgery

The AI layer is the operational detail. Burjeel said the centre uses AI-assisted tools to assess knee alignment and joint angles, with digital templating to plan implant size, positioning and alignment before surgery. Medical directors should document these outputs inside consent, operative planning and quality review.

Why UAE clinics and insurers should care

Dubai’s Dubai Health Authority (DHA) requires licensed facilities to use approved systems and meet health-information standards through Sheryan and related digital health rules. DHA’s new facility licence service says applicants need an electronic medical record that complies with NABIDH minimum data set and standards. AI-assisted orthopedic planning adds another record set: images, alignment outputs, implant templates, vendor data and audit trails.

For insurers, the issue is medical necessity. Daman administers Thiqa, the Abu Dhabi government programme for UAE nationals and similar-status members, and private insurers such as Sukoon publish provider-network search tools for UAE members. Payers will still look for conservative management, radiology evidence, functional limitation, prior physiotherapy and implant justification.

• COO: map the pathway from first orthopedic consult to imaging, pre-authorisation, surgery, inpatient stay, physiotherapy and follow-up.
• CFO: compare AI-assisted cases against conventional arthroplasty on theatre time, implant cost, length of stay, denials and revision risk.
• Medical director: set documentation standards for AI planning outputs and surgeon override decisions.
• CIO: confirm whether planning software stores data inside UAE-approved environments and connects to the EMR.

Public UAE price signals show why this is a finance story. Canadian Specialist Hospital lists a total knee replacement package at AED 55,000. Mediclinic Middle East lists a total knee or hip arthroplasty medical tourism package at AED 75,000 gross price AED 84,600, including a standard prosthesis and two inpatient days. Healthpoint lists a robotic total hip replacement package with two nights and post-follow-up rehabilitation at AED 102,104. These are package references, not Burjeel prices.

What operators should do next

Clinics referring orthopedic patients should prepare a standard referral pack: diagnosis, weight-bearing X-ray or MRI where indicated, pain score, mobility limitation, prior injections, medication history and physiotherapy record. For elective arthroplasty, insurers commonly ask for evidence that non-surgical options were tried or clinically unsuitable.

Patients should ask for a written episode estimate before admission. The estimate should separate surgeon fees, anesthesiology, implant, operating theatre, inpatient room, medicines, imaging, lab tests, complication exclusions and post-discharge physiotherapy. A price without the implant type and rehab allowance is hard to compare.

For Dubai hospitals, the commercial question is whether AI-assisted planning becomes a premium feature or a standard expectation in high-end orthopedics. For Abu Dhabi hospitals, DOH compliance and insurer evidence will decide how quickly the model scales. For MOHAP-regulated providers in Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain, the opportunity is referral capture for patients seeking second opinions before travelling to Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

Before booking, patients and referral coordinators should verify the facility and doctors through the relevant regulator. Use DHA’s Dubai Medical Registry for Dubai, DOH’s facility map for Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, and MOHAP channels for the northern emirates. Zavis readers can also check the UAE Open Healthcare Directory for licensed hospital providers.