Doctors at Dubai Hospital performed a kidney surgery using 3D technology, making the hospital the first in the
MENA region to use this technology for kidney surgery. Dr Yaser Al Saeedi, Consultant Urologist at Dubai Hospital
and main surgeon for this surgery performed the procedure on a 42-year-old Palestinian expatriate who had a tumour in her kidney.
She visited Dubai Hospital for a second opinion after other healthcare providers told her that she would have to
undergo radical surgery to remove her kidney. Her tumour was deep within the kidney the and was located in the
posterior part of the kidney near the blood vessels and ureter and thus there were reduced chances of saving the
kidney and removing only the tumour without 3D technology.
His Excellency Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General of the DHA, said: “The DHA spares
no effort in incorporating the latest technology to better patient outcomes. 3D technology allows doctors to better
plan their surgery and perform minimally invasive procedures. Using 3D technology for surgeries and other
medical purposes is the future and we are currently working on developing regulations for 3D printing for
patients and the medical sector in Dubai. We are also looking at training doctors and healthcare professionals
on the use of this technology.”
Dr Yaser Al Saeedi, Consultant Urologist at Dubai Hospital and main surgeon for this surgery said that he requested a 3D kidney model to assist him in preparing for a complex kidney tumor surgery because the aim was to
only remove the tumour and not the kidney. Medativ created a 3D printed replica of the kidney, featuring the
tumor, ureter and the vasculature.
Dr Al Saeedi said: “In this case it was very important because medical imaging did not adequately portray the
location of the tumor and it’s spatial relationship to other structures. The 3D replica of the kidney allowed us to
better asses our surgical approach and ultimately facilitated a safe partial nephrectomy (removal of mass),
instead of total nephrectomy (removing the entire kidney). The complete dissection of the tumor was made
easier as a result of using the model, ultimately resulting in a shorter and safer procedure.”
He added that normally the procedure takes about 5 hours but in this case due to pre-operative planning using
a 3D model the procedure took only 3 hours, of which the complete removal of the tumour took only 28 minutes.
DHA receives ISO certification for business continuity
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced that it has received ISO certification 2012/22301 for business
continuity, proving once again that its hospitals and centers provide a high quality of health services.
The DHA received the accreditation after the capabilities of its facilities have proved that they can operate under any
circumstances, including emergencies that need immediate response. The certification reflects the level of
medical services and technologies that DHA facilities offer. It is also a testimonial to the highly skilled doctors, nurses and staff who are internationally trained to deal with any emergency they may face.
This latest ISO certification is the fourth certification that the authority has received in general and the seventh
certification that DHA’s primary health care centers received.
His Excellency Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board and Director General of the DHA said customer satisfaction remains the main priority that drives the authority to continue on striving to develop its services.
Al Qatami added that the authority has received a notable number of ISO accreditation in a short period of time,
making it now one of the biggest international accredited medical networks. The DHA received reaccreditation for
the third and fourth time in 2016.
The authority also received many other international accreditations that include 10 primary health-care centres
that received international accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI).
JCI is an organisation which works to improve patient safety and quality of health care in the international
community by offering education, publications, advisory services, and international accreditation and certification.
Other DHA facilities that received international accreditation include the Dubai Gynecology & Fertility Centre, which received accreditation from the Canadian Authority for Accrediting Fertility Centres, making it the first specialized laboratory of its kind to receive the certification in the Middle East.
The Dubai Blood Donation Center received international accreditation from the American Association of Blood
Banks, while Latifa and Hatta Hospitals received a Baby Friendly Hospital status— to name a few. Furthermore, Dubai’s Public Healthcare Centres (PHC) became the first in the region to receive International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) certifications.
