Dr. Essam Mohamed, Executive Director of Medical Services at Emirates Health Services (EHS), applauded medical staff across various facilities affiliated with EHS for their efforts and dedication, reiterating EHS’ commitment to implementing its strategy and empowering medical and nursing staff across all of its facilities with training programmes designed to meet the developments the local and international healthcare sectors are witnessing.
EHS has made significant efforts to enhance the skills and efficiency of its medical staff, allowing hospitals and healthcare centres under its umbrella to be operated by highly qualified and experienced medical staff, Dr. Mohamed added, noting that the specialised training programmes EHS offers have enabled medical professionals to lead sustainable development in the health sector and establish a healthy work environment across all EHS facilities.
Dr Mona Abdulaziz Kashwani, specialist in obstetrics & gynaecology at Al Qassimi Women and Children’s Hospital – an EHS affiliate – became the first Emirati physician to perform robotic surgery in the UAE with a license from an accredited body. Dr Kashwani performs total hysterectomy, supra-cervical hysterectomy, removal of fibroid tumours, ovarian cysts removal, and removal of adhesions to treat abdominal and pelvic pain, in addition to uterine prolapse and uterine retraction surgeries as a result of multiple child deliveries.
Dr Kashwani is one of the most experienced doctors in robotic surgery in the UAE, having graduated from Queen Mary University of London in 2005, before being nominated by the Director of the Laparoscopic Operations and Robotic Surgery Programme at Al Qasimi Hospital, Consultant Dr. Zaki Al Mazki Al Shamsi, to join the women robotic surgeons programme.
“I have spent countless hours after my shift using the surgical simulator for training and studying how the robotic system operates,” Dr Kashwani said. “This qualified me to receive a license to perform gynaecologic robotic surgery using the advanced Da Vinci surgical robot from the IRCAD Training Centre in Strasbourg, France.”
“I sincerely thank the wise leadership, who gave me the opportunity to be one of the few citizens who carry out this type of high-precision operations for patients using a robot,” she added. “I am also grateful to Emirates Health Services for their support and commitment to developing skills of medical practitioners across all of their healthcare facilities, recruiting and training qualified professionals to use state-of-the-art equipment.”
Dr Kashwani explained that she has gained extensive experience with the programme since its launch in 2019, carefully studying the Da Vinci surgical system, learning how to safely operate it, and working on all gynaecological robotic surgeries alongside visiting consultant Dr Labib Riachi, expert in advanced pelvic and laparoscopic surgery and urogynaecology, with support from Dr Safia Al Khaja, Director of Al Qassimi Women and Children’s Hospital.
Launched in 1999, Da Vinci is an automated surgical system that performs minimally invasive surgical procedures and is considered the best in the world in terms of accuracy. US company Intuitive Surgical continues to update and develop the system, adding various new features.
Da Vinci is the first safe and effective surgical robot recognised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that performs complex, minimally invasive surgeries with great accuracy, through a series of small incisions, which shortens the patient’s stay in the hospital, ensures faster recovery, and reduces the need for pain killers after the operation.