2009-10-29 00:17:09
WAM Abu Dhabi, 28th Oct. 2009 (WAM) -- As part of the ongoing strategy of Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) and Abu Dhabi Health Services Company - SEHA to improve medical services, SKMC managed by Cleveland Clinic starts offering minimally invasive Surgery as well as Bariatric Surgery for the treatment of Morbid Obesity. Minimally Invasive Surgery offers patients less pain, shorter post-operative recovery period, less complications, and faster return to normal daily activities. SKMC is owned and operated by SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Minimally invasive procedures offered at SKMC within the division of General/Vascular/Thoracic surgery include laparoscopic antireflux surgery, laparoscopic colorectal resection, laparoscopic hernia surgery, laparoscopic splenectomy, laparoscopic adrenalectomy, and laparoscopic bariatric surgery for morbid obesity.

Dr. Tej Maini, CEO of SKMC, stated, "Offering minimally invasive procedures at SKMC is another challenge to confirm our commitment towards different contemporary medical practices. SKMC and SEHA are committed to continuous improvement of quality care to ultimately improve the health of the UAE population and to provide advanced medical care that meets internationally recognized standards of excellence and patients' satisfaction".

Dr. Atul Mehta, Chief Medical Officer at SKMC, said "Obesity is a national health problem and we are proud to launch such a comprehensive bariatric program to offer options to patients with morbid obesity including surgical options in a minimally invasive fashion. This program includes our bariatric surgical team Dr. Abdelrahman Nimeri, and Dr. Mohammed Hadad in addition to our internal medicine doctors, endocrinologists, psychologists, and dietitians." Dr. Abdelrahman Nimeri, Consultant, Minimally Invasive '&' Bariatric Surgery said, "We have already performed 6 bariatric surgeries including gastric bypass and gastric banding for our patients diagnosed with obesity for BMI as high as 67). It is now definitely more convenient to those patients to get fully treated here at SKMC and under the supervision of all their physicians. This assures delivering the proper treatment by the experts of all disciplines at SKMC and follow up".

Dr. Hadad further stated, "Our team is also organizing the first Advanced Management of Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome symposium in Abu Dhabi on 31st October 2009 targeting bariatric surgeons, general surgeons, bariatric physicians, general practitioners, pediatricians, endocrinologists, gastroenterologists, psychologists, and dietitians. The symposium will host a guest speaker from Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Philip SCHAUER, Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Chief of Minimally Invasive General Surgery and Director of the Cleveland Clinic Bariatric and Metabolic Institute (BMI)".

Dr. Schauer is immediate Past President of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. He has performed more than 4000 operations for severe obesity. His research interests include the pathophysiology of obesity and related diseases, physiologic effects of laparoscopic surgery on postoperative injury and recovery, and outcomes of laparoscopic management of obesity, gastrointestinal diseases, and hernias. He has also participated in the development of new minimally invasive, endoscopic, and laparoscopic operations. New concepts in surgical training and education have been a major focus of his educational interests. He has authored more than 200 scientific papers, editorials, textbook chapters, abstracts, and video productions. Moreover, he has been an invited speaker for more than 100 regional, national and international lectures on the subject of obesity surgery and laparoscopic surgery. He has been director of more than 50 courses and workshops on advanced laparoscopic surgery and has trained more than 20 fellows in advanced laparoscopic surgery.

Dr. Mehta further stated, "We are proud to host Dr. Schauer in this symposium as well as to SKMC. He will be joining our team for five days to perform 6-7 bariatric surgeries during the first week of November. We will also be organizing a public lecture by Dr. Schauer and Dr. Nimeri on Tuesday evening, 3 November 2009 in the hospital, under the name of "Walking away from Obesity". It will be open for the public and our patients." WAM/TF