phone: 44422077, fax: 44416790 administration & …...lani rose r dizon doha twenty one-year-old...
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LANI ROSE R DIZONDOHA
TWENTY ONE-YEAR-OLD GhaziSdiri lost both his legs in a road acci-dent in Tunisia during the Holy Monthof Ramadan last year.
The future might have appeared ble-ak for the third year medical student th-en but he chose not to let his conditiondeter him from pursuing his dreams.
In January this year, Sdiri wasbrought to the Hamad MedicalCorporation’s (HMC) Prosthetics andOrthotics Department as a potentialcandidate for the power knee prosthe-sis, a cutting edge bionic technology,which is billed as the ‘world’s first andonly motor-powered prosthetic knee’.
Under the sponsorship of the Qatarigovernment, Sdiri became the first offi-cial recipient of the power knee pros-thesis in the Middle East on Saturday.
Talking to media persons in Doha onSunday, he extended his gratitude toHH the Emir, the Qatari government aswell as the HMC for all the support hereceived during his stay in the country.He added, “This is an opportunity forme to get my life back. And I’m going tomake my life much better. I can now goback to Romania to finish my studiesand live like any normal person.”
Replying to a comment that hewould probably be a doctor someday,the young Tunisian, armed with strongdetermination, said, “And of course Iwill be. It’s not probably. I will be adoctor. Remember my name.”
To date, Qatar is the only country inthe region equipped with the smartknee prosthesis technology. The bat-tery-powered device combines artifi-cial intelligence, motion sensors, andwireless communication to learn andadjust to the walking styles of its users.
HMC Head of Prosthetics andOrthotics Dr Fadal Adams said, “Thisis the first power knee prosthesisinstalled in the region. We now knowthe criteria and the benefits of thistechnology for the patients and aregoing to screen other patients as well.Our basic interest is to bring thesetechnologies to Qatar so that ourpatients do not need to go abroad tosatisfy their needs.”
Adams added, “The power knee pro-sthesis was tailor-made for the patient.It’s a smart knee prosthesis because itdoes the job for the patient. It adapts toa person’s stride, speed and type of
ground and can help prevent stumbles.It encourages users to become moreactive and take on activities that theymay otherwise prefer to avoid.”
Adams added further, “For strong-willed guys, it will take six to eightweeks before they completely adjust tothe technology. But for the otherpatients, who don’t have the strongpsychological ability, it might takethem around three months before theystart walking actively in the prosthesis.”
Perry Boumans, sales manager forOssur Middle East & Africa, the com-pany behind the creation of the powerknee prosthesis, said around 150power knees have already beeninstalled around the world so far andthe number is increasing rapidly.
He said, “We supply the technologyto the US Army and plan to start trialsin the UK Hatley Court Military facili-ty and the Walter Reed Army Medical
Center in the US in the near future.People are seeing its benefits and it’snice to see people’s confidencerestored in prosthesis.”
“However, the success of the tech-nology depends on the suitability ofthe product for the patient. It’s notabout the patient being suitable for theproducts. Always, the patient shouldbe at the centre of the conversationand centre of the team,” Boumanspointed out.
Perry Boumans and Dr Fadal Adams, in Doha, on Sunday. (JALAL PATHIYOOR)
HMC’s smart job lifts Sdiri
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Emir receives phone call from Turkish PMTHE Emir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thanireceived a telephone call from Prime Minister of TurkeyRecep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday. Cooperation between thetwo countries along with several issues of common interestwas reviewed during the call. (QNA)
Minister of State meets Spanish ministerTHE Minister of State for Defence Affairs HE Major-GeneralHamad bin Ali al Attiyah met with the Spanish DefenceMinister Pedro Morenes in Doha on Sunday. During themeeting, the two sides reviewed aspects of cooperationbetween Qatar and Spain, especially the military affairs.Chief of Staff of the Qatari Armed Forces Air Vice-MarshalHE Ghanim bin Shaheen al Ghanim and SpanishAmbassador to Qatar HE Mar’a del Carmen de la Pe’aCorcuera and a number of senior army officers attended themeeting. (QNA)
Attiyah meets Japanese officialsCHAIRMAN of the Administrative Control and TransparencyAuthority HE Abdullah bin Hamad al Attiyah met withGeneral Director for the Middle East and North Africa Affairsat the Japanese Foreign Ministry Makio Miyagawa andDirector of the Second Middle East Division Kenichiro Mukaiin Doha on Sunday. During the meeting, they discussedaspects of joint cooperation between the two countries. (QNA)
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Suspension of evening local fish auction during the Holy Month of RamadanACCORDING to a recommendation by a joint committeeof Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Business andTrade, it was decided to temporarily halt local fish auc-tion in the evening during the Holy Month of Ramadan,from July 9 to August 17. The morning auction willbegin after Al-Fajr prayers. The evening auction willresume on August 18. (TNN)
Ghazi Sdiri lost both his legs in a roadaccident in Tunisia last year.