Al-Ahli Hospital will hold a Medical Symposium on 15 June 2011 at the Al-Ahli Hospital Auditorium.  This seminar is meant for all interested doctors in Qatar and registration is free of charge.

 

Dr. Abdulazim Abdul Wahab Hussain, Consultant General Surgeon and Medical Director of Al-Ahli Hospital, will speak about Sleeve Gastrectomy.  Dr. Fawzi Mahmoud Jadallah, Consultant General Surgeon, will speak about Gastric Banding; Dr. Munir Saeed, Specialist General Surgeon will speak about Gastric Placation; and Dr. Tarek Mohamed Sherif Khalil, Specialist General Surgeon will speak about Gastric Bypass.  Dr Omar Naji, Specialist Surgeon will introduce the topic.

Dr. Abdulazim’s credentials include the German Board (Facharzt) in Abdominal Surgery and Traumatology, Diploma in Traumatology from Sweden, Fellowship Bariatric Surgery from Austria, and Advanced Fellowship in Laparoscopic Surgery from Germany.  Speaking about his presentation, he stated, “Sleeve Gastrectomy is a weight-loss procedure that is surgically done, in which the stomach is brought down to about 25% of its initial size.  This is done by surgically removing a large portion of the stomach, following the major curve.  Sleeve Gastrectomy is usually performed on extremely obese patients, with a body mass index of 40 or more, where the risk of performing a gastric bypass or the duodenal switch procedure may be too large.”

“It is a well-known fact that obesity is becoming one of the most prevalent health problems, worldwide and in GCC, in an unprecedented manner.  Sadly, Qatar is the leading country in the obesity epidemic where the prevalence of obesity is more than 39% of adults, especially women where the percentage reaches 45%.  The children and adolescent sector is no exception: about 30% of youngsters are obese and this figure rises with age,” added Dr. Abdulazim.

 

Dr. Fawzi Mahmoud Jadallah mentioned, “The alarming statistics reflect the importance of treating obesity by effective methods, especially in cases of morbid 'severe' obesity, where excessive weight increases the incidence of complications such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, some types of cancer, and early deaths to a large extent.  It is known scientifically that obesity surgery is the only effective way to reduce the excess body weight and prevent its complications, as the rest of weight reduction methods like exercise, diet, or treatment with drugs may not be successful or effective for different reasons.  A gastric band operation is a type of weight-loss surgery.  The capacity of the stomach is reduced using an adjustable band so that only small meals can be eaten.  In gastric bypass surgery, a new, smaller, stomach is created by a line of staples and is connected to a loop of the small bowel.  During gastric banding, a silicone band is placed around the upper stomach creating a small reservoir and a restricted passage to the lower stomach.”

 

Doctors who are interested to participate in this event are requested to contact Ms. Joanne Rico on 44898797.