DUBAI —Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has said the healthcare system in the United Arab Emirates has advanced capabilities to provide a wide range of medical treatments and procedures including the most complex surgeries.

"Emirati medical professionals have demonstrated a high level of expertise in different medical specialties, including pediatric and intrauterine fetal surgery," Sheikh Hamdan said.

Sheikh Hamdan’s remarks came during a meeting with the medical team from Latifa Women and Children Hospital led by Emirati doctors that performed the first-ever intrauterine fetal surgery for a spinal cord defect in the Arab region. The meeting, which took place at Sheikh Hamdan’s residence in Nad Al Sheba, was also attended by Humaid Al Qutami, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, and Abdulla Mohammed Al Basti, Secretary-General of the Executive Council of Dubai.

The extremely delicate six-hour surgery was performed on a 25-week-old fetus carried by an Emirati mother that was diagnosed to have myelomeningocele, a type of spinal cord defect. The fetus weighed only 700 grams. As the surgery was performed at this stage and not after the baby was born (which is typically the standard medical procedure), the fetus’ defect was corrected, giving the baby a chance for improving cognitive function, lower limb function and deformities.

During the meeting, the team explained to how they conducted the highly complex surgery. The procedure was performed by a multidisciplinary team of highly specialized medical professionals from Latifa Women and Children Hospital and Rashid Hospital, led by Emirati doctors Dr. Muna AbdulRazzaq Tahlak, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynecology and CEO of Latifa Women and Children Hospital, and Dr. Mohammad Sultan Al Olama, Consultant Neurosurgeon specialized in Pediatric and Functional Neurosurgery at Rashid Hospital & President of the Emirates Society of Neurological Surgeons in the UAE.

Dr. Tahlak and Dr. Al Olama outlined the various steps of the procedure performed by a twenty member-team comprised of maternal and fetal medicine experts, obstetricians, anesthesiologists, a clinical pharmacologist, neo-natal and intensive care nurses, scrub nurses from both hospitals, nurse coordinators and a radiographer.

Sheikh Hamdan commended the advanced level of medical services offered in Dubai, whose skilled medical professionals and cutting-edge healthcare facilities have enabled it to emerge as a prominent healthcare destination.

"We thank all those who were involved in this extremely delicate surgery that gave an Emirati baby hope for a healthy baby. We hope this success will inspire young Emirati doctors to strive to gain expertise and skills that will help them record accomplishments that will enable the UAE further consolidate its leadership in the healthcare sector," he said, while expressing his best wishes to the medical and paramedical staff for their future endeavors.

Humaid Al Qutami, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, said the leadership is keen to extend their support to healthcare professionals and encourages them to work harder to acquire more advanced skills to reach the highest level of excellence. Al Qutami said the DHA is proud of the medical team and their achievements. The Authority constantly strives to provide the highest standards of accessible medical care to the community, he added.

Al Qutami also thanked the crown prince for the meeting, saying the gesture encourages the medical team to strive for more accomplishments. — WAM