Category Archives: Health /Medical Treatment For Overseas Treatment

The American Hospital Dubai is actively supporting Dubai’s efforts to build a medical tourism hub in the emirate, as the Hospital’s Centers of Excellence continue to attract increasing numbers of patients from outside the UAE, with patients from more 20 countries treated at the Hospital every year.

40% of patients treated at the Hospital’s Total Joint Replacement Center of Excellence in 2011 were from outside the UAE.

The American Hospital Dubai operates Centers of Excellence, from The Neuroscience Center to the Sleep Lab, reflecting the transformation of the Hospital into a specialist provider of highly specialised and advanced forms of tertiary care, through teams of specialist consultants who are all US board certified or equivalent.

The Hospital is increasingly developing these specialist practices into regional centres of excellence, reaching out to patients in the GCC, Nigeria and beyond.

In 2011, the Total Joint Replacement (TJR) Center of Excellence performed more than 1,000 surgeries on patients from 20 countries, and is one of the largest centers of its kind in the world. 40% of these patients were from outside the UAE.

Commenting on the Hospital’s medical tourism activity, Mr Thomas Murray, CEO of the American Hospital Dubai, said, “Over the last 16 years, the American Hospital Dubai has been developing its services in response to the needs of the Dubai community, the UAE and patients across the wider GCC region. This evolution of specialised tertiary services has helped attract patients from further afield and we believe this provides a good model for the Dubai healthcare sector, as it becomes the regional hub for world class healthcare services. Our TJR Center of Excellence is a great example of a successful regional center and we are actively sharing our experience in support of the goal of making Dubai a preferred destination for global medical tourists.”

As the Hospital celebrates its 16th anniversary, it is continuing the expansion plans of its Dubai campus, adding a further 240 beds, along with a recruitment drive that will add more than 20 Western board certified physicians in 2012. In the near future, the hospital will provide 384 beds and over 100 physicians.

source:  http://www.ameinfo.com / Home> News> Company News / United Arab Emirates / Wednesday, November 28th, 2012

Anjana, a 42-year-old woman diagnosed with tumour in her left kidney, was told by doctors that she needed to have it removed.

Since Anjana wanted to preserve her kidney and, at the same time, get rid of the tumour, she underwent a procedure called Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy (kidney preserving surgery) wherein only the tumour was excised, leaving her kidney intact.She stayed in the hospital for just three days and was able to return to her job within two weeks. Till recently, the treatment of such tumours involved complete removal of the kidney and the tumour. Not anymore, thanks to robot-assisted surgeries.

Surgeries like this have not only cured thousands of patients but also helped boost Bangalore’s
image as a leading medical tourism destination in the country.

Patients with such condition come to bangalore from the world over including the Middle East, Africa, Australia, The Netherlands, Denmark, Russia and Sri Lanka.

Robotic radiation, that was introduced three years ago in the city, contributes to about 20% of the medical tourists. And robotic surgery is boosting medi-tourism in Karnataka.

In fact, not just urology, most of gynaecological surgeries can be done with the help of robots.
Over the past one year, Manipal Hospital has got patients from Africa, Maldives and Sri Lanka enquiring about robotic surgery.

“The robot can be used in the removal of fibroids — myomectomy, removal of uterus, hysterectomy, re-canalisation of fallopian tubes in patients with blocked tubes or when sterilisation is to be reversed, endometriosis surgery and surgery for cervical and uterine cancers,” said Dr Gayathri Karthik, consultant, gynaecology and obstetrics, Manipal Hospital.

She feels the city’s medical image has got a boost thanks to the progress made in this field.
Take the case of Caroline (name changed) from Nigeria, who recently underwent surgery on her uterus, in the city, after being diagnosed with fibroid.

She was advised removal of her uterus, which she was not comfortable with since she wanted another baby. She had heard of robotic surgery and decided to make a trip to Bangalore to undergo the same.She underwent a robot assisted myomectomy by Dr Karthik where two fibroids were removed. She recovered well and left for Africa in 10 days.

Radiation with the help of robots (also called Cyberknife) is another specialisation that has gained popularity among Indian and foreign patients over the past couple of years. According to Dr Sridhar PS, consultant, radiation oncologist, Healthcare Global (HCG), robotic surgery is the future and the country so far has done well to gain expertise in this. “Earlier, we faced the problem where we did not achieve accurate radiation. So if there is a tumour in the lungs, radiation would affect the surrounding areas. However, now with the help of robotic radiation, there is little damage done to the surrounding areas,” he said. Robotic radiation also helps in reaching areas where it is not possible to operate through human hands, he added.

Hence, increasingly for doctors, robotic surgery is becoming an alternative to normal surgery, especially in cases where tumour in pancreas, prostate and lungs is involved. HCG has treated more than 1,000 patients in the past three-and-a-half years. Going by the demand of robotic surgery, other city-based hospitals are also planning to procure this advanced technology.

For instance, BGS Global Hospitals plan to introduce the technology in their hospital shortly.
“The technology of robotic surgery is advancing and soon we are likely to have second generation robotic equipment,” said Dr NK Venkataramana, vice-chairman and chief neurosurgeon, BGS Global Hospitals. “Surgeons are resorting to more and more minimally invasive surgeries wherever possible. The advantages of this technology are minimal damage to tissue and less invasiveness, lesser hospital stay, speedy ambulation of the patient, less pain and cosmetically aesthetic with a smaller scar. Robotics will definitely help to achieve these goals with much more precision,” he said.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com  / Daily News & Analysis / Home> Bangalore> Report / by  Soumita Majumdar & Suparna Goswami Bhattachary / Place:Bangalore, Agency:DNA / Monday, November 12th, 2012