New robotic op centre

BAHRAIN’S first robotic surgery centre will be set up at the King Abdullah Medical City, which is expected to open next year.

The BD100 million medical city will also feature Bahrain’s second stem cell treatment centre - with the first set to open soon at the Al Jawahara Centre for Molecular Medicine and Inherited Disorders in Segaiya.

The hi-tech university-hospital coming up on a one million square metre plot donated by His Majesty King Hamad is currently in the interior design and facilitation phase, according to former Arabian Gulf University (AGU) deputy president Dr Khalid Tabbarah, who is overseeing the project.

“Work is underway to prepare rooms and lay water and electricity cables and we expect the facility to be operational by the middle of next year,” Dr Tabarrah said in an exclusive interview to the GDN.

“The new medical city will strengthen Bahrain’s healthcare capabilities. All major doctors in the centre are medical professors. The hospital’s equipment and capabilities will also be cutting-edge and it will house Bahrain’s first robotic surgery centre.

“These are advanced capabilities that allow surgeries to be conducted at a fast pace. Robotic surgery aids in manipulating objects with minimal movements.”

The advanced medical intervention features robots performing surgeries that are controlled by the surgeon. Robots will be equipped with surgical instruments and a camera and the surgeries are intended to boost precision and avoid large incisions.

“Another key feature of the medical city is a stem cell centre, which will primarily be used for treatment,” Dr Tabarrah said.

The stem cell unit set to open soon at the Al Jawahara Centre will focus on research, training and clinical services.

However, the centre at the King Abdullah Medical City will offer extensive stem cell treatments at 10 (out of 17) of its operation theatres, he added.

Regenerative medicine is the branch of science that develops methods to regrow, repair or replace damaged or diseased cells, organs or tissues.

It involves the generation and use of therapeutic stem cells, tissue engineering and production of artificial organs.

The GDN reported earlier that a centre for regenerative medicine – an advanced stem cell centre at the AGU is soon set to open, bringing home high-end and effective treatment for diabetes, cancer and heart ailments, among others.

Dr Tabarrah noted that the medical city will add value to Bahrain’s healthcare in two ways – as a dedicated facility to train medics and as a hospital.

“Currently our students are being trained in Bahrain’s public hospitals where the primary concern is treatment for patients and teaching has to fit in without interfering with the hospital work,” explained the veteran.

“In the new facility we will be able to control all the conditions to optimise teaching, it will be part and parcel of it – it will be care and teaching together.

”Despite having three large public hospitals in Bahrain in addition to all the private facilities, Bahrain still requires more healthcare facilities, based on the international standards of number of beds per population and so on.”

The GDN reported in 2020 that Al Fouzan Trading and General Construction Company had been selected to build the King Abdullah Medical City. It will include 288 private patient rooms, 74 clinics, 17 operating theatres, a modern laboratory, a radiology centre, an emergency helicopter pad, and a physiotherapy centre.

Source: https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1049767/New-robotic-op-centre