Emergency response times for heart attack cases across the UAE are set to shorten following the rollout of a new treatment model by Emirates Health Services that compresses diagnosis and hospital intervention into a single, tightly coordinated window.
The protocol, referred to as the “90 Pathway,” restructures how acute myocardial infarction cases move from first medical contact to specialist care. Instead of sequential handovers, the system links ambulance crews, emergency departments, and cardiac teams into one continuous decision-making process designed to complete urgent treatment in under an hour and a half.
Field assessments now play a central role in triggering hospital readiness. Paramedics conduct electrocardiograms at the scene using digital equipment capable of sending results directly to cardiologists before the patient is transported. With advance confirmation, catheterisation laboratories and specialist teams are activated ahead of arrival, removing the waiting period that often follows admission.
Health officials described the approach as a shift away from fragmented emergency handling toward a model that depends on real-time coordination among National Ambulance services, hospital emergency units, cardiology departments, and catheterisation labs. The objective is to allow clinical decisions to be made while the patient is still en route, rather than after admission.
The urgency behind the redesign is tied to clinical outcomes. Medical authorities emphasized that delays during the initial phase of a heart attack can rapidly worsen prognosis, increasing the likelihood of severe complications or death. Reducing the time between diagnosis and intervention is intended to directly affect survival and recovery rates.
Emirates Health Services pointed to earlier results from stroke care as evidence of what streamlined pathways can achieve. At Ibrahim Bin Hamad Obaidullah Hospital, a separate initiative known as the “Golden Hour” project cut procedural steps by more than half and reduced response time from nearly two hours to under 40 minutes. The proportion of stroke patients receiving clot-dissolving medication within an hour rose sharply, from just over one-fifth to more than two-thirds.
“Behind every emergency siren is a human story and an urgency that cannot wait,” Emirates Health Services said. “In moments that can change a life forever, every second matters. What we provide is not just healthcare, but a humanitarian mission to protect lives and safeguard community health.”
The 90 Pathway forms part of the UAE’s Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme, which focuses on removing administrative barriers in essential public services by redesigning procedures around speed, coordination, and direct clinical need.
