Patient Records App for a Radiotherapy Centre: Dubai 2026

The verdict in three sentences

A radiotherapy centre scheduling 27,000 sessions a year in spreadsheets loses machine slots, multiplies rescheduling and exposes patients to protocol errors. A custom patient records and scheduling app keeps appointments, protocols and linear accelerators in sync, with data hosted in the UAE and every access logged. At Kolonell this is a custom application from 2,500,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (3,810 to 22,870+ EUR) depending on complexity, delivered in 5 to 6 months.

Why manual scheduling is expensive in radiotherapy

The medical director of a private centre in Dubai Healthcare City treats 900 patients a year on two linear accelerators. Each protocol runs 25 to 35 fractions, usually five days a week, so around 27,000 sessions a year. Scheduling lives in a shared spreadsheet and a front desk calendar. When a machine goes down for maintenance, staff call patients one by one. Consultation notes, treatment summaries and side effect reviews are spread across several systems.

Modules and budget range

The app does not replace the treatment planning system or oncology information system (ARIA, MOSAIQ): it organises everything around them. It covers the administrative and clinical record, the prescribed protocol with session count, per-accelerator scheduling, SMS and WhatsApp reminders, weekly side effect reviews and end-of-treatment summaries.

For reference, an imported oncology practice suite with scheduling typically costs AED 150,000 to 500,000 in licences plus annual fees in Dubai in 2026 (order of magnitude, about USD 40,000 to 135,000). The 5 to 6 month timeline reflects clinical validation: each protocol rule is reviewed by a radiation oncologist and a medical physicist before go-live.

Hosting and health data protection

In Dubai, the Dubai Health Authority requires licensed facilities to protect patient data under its health information policies, and UAE Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 on ICT in health fields restricts storing health data outside the country except in approved cases. Facilities are also expected to connect to NABIDH, the Dubai health information exchange. In practice this means UAE-based hosting (a local cloud region or licensed data centre), encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access (front desk, therapist, oncologist, physicist) and a full access log. The app is built so these controls can be shown during a DHA inspection.

Patient experience is the other half of the case. Radiotherapy patients come in every weekday for five to seven weeks, so a reliable timetable matters to them and to their employers. The app sends the full schedule after the planning CT, a reminder the evening before each session and an instant message if a slot moves. Centres that adopt this kind of communication typically see late arrivals drop by 20 to 30% (estimate), which in turn protects machine utilisation during the busiest morning slots.

Mini case study

Dr Layla Haddad, medical director, values an average session at AED 1,200. Moving from 78% to 88% utilisation on two accelerators adds about 3,400 sessions a year, worth AED 4.08 million in extra capacity without new equipment. Missed sessions not rebooked fall from 3.5% to 0.8%, saving around 730 lost sessions. Against a medium to complex build of 9,000,000 FCFA (about 13,700 EUR, roughly AED 55,000) plus premium maintenance, payback comes within weeks of extra activity. Care quality improves too, since fewer treatment interruptions mean better tumour control.

FAQ

Does the app replace our oncology information system? No, it complements it by handling records, appointments and protocols. An HL7 interface can exchange patient data with the machine software in the complex version.

Where will data be stored? On servers located in the UAE, encrypted, with daily backups and 30 days of history kept. The hosting provider is agreed with you.

How do you handle an accelerator breakdown? The system proposes free slots on the other machine or the next days and notifies patients by SMS. Rescheduling a full day takes under 2 hours.

Will staff be trained? Yes, 3 to 4 sessions per role in the final month, with guides in English and Arabic.

Can we start with appointments only? Yes, a first release in 3 months covers records and appointments, with protocols in a second release.

Let's scope your project. Tell us your number of machines, your protocols and current systems, and we will propose a scope and a 5 to 6 month go-live plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.