- Now available across the UAE, the new telehealth service offers individuals access to SAKINA’s licensed psychologists and psychiatrists
- It promotes early access to care anytime, anywhere – reinforcing mental health as a core part of holistic healthcare
Abu Dhabi, UAE – 11 October 2025: PureHealth, the largest healthcare group in the Middle East, has launched nationwide virtual mental health services through its AI-enabled health app, Pura – powered by SAKINA, the region’s largest mental health network. The service gives people across the UAE direct access to licensed psychologists and psychiatrists from wherever they are. It positions mental health as a key pillar of overall wellbeing, making it easy and quick for people to seek support as part of their mental health journeys.
The feature allows users to book private, expert-led sessions through the app, offering fast, secure support. Part of SEHA, PureHealth’s hospital network, SAKINA brings decades of therapeutic expertise, cultural insight, and evidence-based care, ensuring trusted support for every patient. Its licensed professionals are now available for online consultations via Pura, with appointments open to everyone, including those covered by Daman insurance.
According to the World Health Organization[1], one in eight people globally experience a mental health disorder at any given time. In the GCC, up to 80% of cases go undiagnosed[2], and 75% of those affected don’t seek help[3] – often due to limited access or the desire to manage these concerns privately.This launch reflects PureHealth’s commitment to building a more inclusive, preventive and digitally-driven healthcare system, empowering people to take charge of their wellbeing and offering compassionate pathways to mental health support.
Shaista Asif, Group Chief Executive Officer, PureHealth, said: “With Pura, we’re making care more accessible, more responsive and more human, thoughtfully designed around real lives and real needs. By harnessing the power of digital healthcare and AI, we’re not just scaling access, we’re personalising care and helping to remove longstanding barriers to mental health support. This exemplifies the transformative potential of technology in delivering meaningful and measurable impact for individuals, families and communities across the nation.”
Alongside virtual therapy sessions, the app offers a growing suite of guided meditations and self-help tools, including educational content, emotional resilience resources, and preventive mental wellness programmes tailored to users’ needs.
Dr. Zain Al Yafei, Chief Executive Officer of SAKINA, added: “Mental health remains a significant and often under-addressed challenge in communities across the globe. Networks such as SAKINA play a vital role in raising awareness, fostering connection, and encouraging open dialogue around this essential aspect of overall wellbeing. By making our licensed mental health professionals accessible through the trusted Pura app, we are bringing expert support closer to people through secure, user-friendly tools. This launch marks an important step toward enabling earlier intervention and promoting a more proactive, personalised approach to mental health care across the UAE.”
The launch supports PureHeath’s digital transformation strategy and aligns with the UAE’s national health priorities, combining smart technology with inclusive care to improve lives at scale.
Users across the UAE can open or download Pura today to book a mental health consultation and explore wellness resources, with access available for those covered by Daman insurance.
About PureHealth:
PureHealth is the largest healthcare group in the Middle East with an ecosystem that challenges lifespans and reimagines health spans. With 110+ hospitals, 316+ clinics, multiple diagnostic centres, health insurance solutions, pharmacies, health tech, procurement, investments and more, its groundbreaking innovations are at the forefront of healthcare as the company is on a mission to unlock time for humankind. By advancing the Science of Longevity, PureHealth is introducing the healthcare of the future from the United Arab Emirates to the rest of the world.
PureHealth’s network comprises:
- SEHA – One of the largest healthcare networks of hospitals and clinics in the UAE
- SEHA CLINICS – Delivering comprehensive community-based healthcare services
- Daman (The National Insurance Company) – The UAE’s leading health insurer
- The Medical Office – Overseeing Sheikh Khalifa Hospitals and healthcare facilities established under the initiatives of H.H. The President of the UAE
- Rafed – The UAE’s largest healthcare Group Purchasing Organisation
- PureLab – Managing and operating the largest network of laboratories in the region
- One Health – A network that provides end-to-end medical solutions to a base of over 300 healthcare service providers
- The Life Corner – Abu Dhabi’s first holistic pharmacy, serving the health and wellness establishment
- Ardent Health Services – The fourth largest privately held acute care hospital operator in the US
- Circle Health Group –The largest independent operators of hospitals in the UK
- Hellenic Healthcare Group (HHG) – the largest private healthcare provider in Greece and Cyprus
- PureCS – A leading cloud and technology services provider, specialising in IT management and consulting solutions, cybersecurity, cloud services and AI information systems
- Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) – The UAE’s largest healthcare complex, delivering integrated complex care
To learn more, please visit www.purehealth.ae
[1] World Health Organization – Mental Disorders factsheet
[2] Oliver Wyman – Transforming Mental Wellness – A Roadmap for Change in the GCC
[3] PwC – The Socio-economic Impact of Untreated Mental Illness