- Industry leaders unite to accelerate implementation of GS1 UDI standards across UAE’s healthcare ecosystem
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – May 13, 2025 – GS1 UAE recently hosted an exclusive Healthcare User Group UDI Stream focused on accelerating the implementation of Unique Device Identification (UDI) for medical devices in the country.
The event brought together leading experts, and global medical technology companies — including representatives from GS1 UAE, MECOMED, BD and Johnson & Johnson — to address critical challenges and explore new opportunities around UDI adoption in the UAE.
With participation from both manufacturers and local agents, the event offered a well-rounded perspective on implementation of UDI, focusing on practical experiences, key lessons learned, and the most effective approaches to drive progress. Featuring keynotes, industry presentations, and an open forum for collaboration, the workshop marked as a decisive move to advance patient safety and streamline healthcare supply chains across the nation.
“Enhancing UDI implementation in the UAE requires more than individual effort — it demands a united front,” said Maha Unnisa, Healthcare Manager at GS1 UAE. “When regulators, healthcare providers, and supply chain partners work together, we move faster, smarter, and with greater impact. At GS1 UAE, we’re proud to lead this industry-wide collaboration to make traceability the standard, not the exception — and to build a healthcare system defined by transparency, safety, and trust.”
The event featured insights from Rana Chalhoub, Regulatory Affairs Director at MECOMED, who emphasized the region’s readiness for UDI standardisation: “When implementing UDI regulation, it is paramount to consider a phased-in and risk-based approach along with proper transition timelines. Engaging the different MedTech stakeholders, aiming at a globally harmonized and automated UDI data submission process, is key.”
Mirette Abskharoun, Associate Director of Regulatory Affairs at Johnson & Johnson, added:
“Adopting global UDI identification standards plays an important role in improving patient safety, streamlining supply chains, and facilitating better traceability”.
The session concluded with a live Q&A, followed by the presentation of certificates of appreciation and commemorative trophies to distinguished speakers. Attendees also had the opportunity to network and explore how GS1’s global standards — including the GS1 DataMatrix barcode, which is now mandated or recommended in healthcare regulations across 70+ countries — are shaping safer, smarter healthcare systems.
This event underscores GS1 UAE’s role in championing global standards and echoes GS1 Healthcare’s mission to build a future where every medical product is uniquely identified, traceable, and safe for every patient, everywhere. Taking place alongside GS1 Healthcare’s 20th anniversary, the event reflects the global momentum behind two decades of driving patient safety and digital transformation through trusted, standardized barcoding systems.
About GS1 UAE:
GS1 is a neutral, not-for-profit organisation that provides global standards for efficient business communication. We are best known for the barcode, named in 2016 by the BBC as one of “the 50 things that made the world economy.” GS1 standards improve the efficiency, safety and visibility of supply chains across physical and digital channels in 25 sectors. We enable organisations of all types and sizes to identify, capture and share information seamlessly. Our scale and reach – local Member Organisations in 116 countries, more than 2 million user companies and over 10 billion transactions every day – help ensure that GS1 standards create a common language that supports systems and processes across the globe. Find out more at www.gs1ae.org.