The Legal Conference on Legislation and Digital Transformation in the Health Sector, organised by the Oman College of Health Sciences, concluded on Tuesday. The final day opened with a knowledge session titled 'Between Ethical Guidelines and Enforceable Legal Frameworks: Regulatory Authorities’ Directions Worldwide', and was followed by a session exploring ethical frameworks for digital health practices.
Participants examined the growing role of artificial intelligence in healthcare services before concluding with a forward-looking discussion on the future vision for developing the sector.
Dr Asma al Balushi, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, explained that ethical guidelines in medicine are rooted in long-standing medical, jurisprudential and legal traditions. She emphasised the four principles of medical ethics — respect for patient autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice — as well as international benchmarks such as the Declaration of Geneva, the modern Hippocratic Oath and the Declaration of Helsinki.
She said that frameworks are shaped by national legislation, including medical profession laws, liability regulations and data protection laws, as well as executive rulings and judicial precedents, adding that these are further clarified through executive regulations and bylaws issued by ministries of health and medical councils, which specify how laws should be implemented in practice.
Dr Abla Khaled Elfeky, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Civil and Commercial Procedural Law at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Egypt, said that AI has become indispensable for doctors, allowing more precise examinations, accurate test results and more effective treatment plans, while also serving as a backbone for advanced surgeries.
She explained that without AI, physicians would struggle with efficiency and accuracy, describing it as “a must for medical practice these days.” At the same time, she warned that the integration of AI in healthcare comes with significant challenges. She pointed to technical obstacles across the Arab world, including weak Internet infrastructure, limited expertise in AI technologies and a dependence on external innovation.
At the end of the conference, a set of key recommendations was announced, including the creation of a clear legal framework to regulate digital medical services and research, while ensuring that health and biometric data are fully protected in accordance with national strategies and international agreements.
The participants also recommended introducing specific laws to govern the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, based on international best practices. Another focus was on automating health processes from legal, judicial and technical sides in cooperation with different institutions.
Other recommendations called for stronger regional and international cooperation in digital health and for sharing successful experiences between countries. The conference also suggested setting up a national reference body to strengthen digital health governance and continuing to hold conferences, workshops, and seminars on healthcare and digital transformation.
