Behnaz Sanjana briefly rounds up some of the latest and most modern practices at Bahrain’s best-known medical facilities.
Bahrain’s economic Vision 2030 envisages the country to be a leading centre for modern medicine in the region. The nation is well on its way to achieving this through world-class amenities offered by its renowned medical centres.
Gone are the days when residents felt the need to travel abroad for healthcare. A plethora of the latest practices are available right here on the island – easily accessible, reliable and affordable.
WTM rounds up the latest treatments available at three leading healthcare institutions that make caring for your wellbeing so much easier.
Making Waves
One from the newer facilities to have sprung up, the Middle East Hospital in Segaya is touted to have highly advanced medical services and equipment.
It boasts the only open MRI in Bahrain. Dr Hussain Meer, who is the general manager of Al Hakeem Radiology Center, also heads the radiology department as a consultant at Middle East Hospital.
He says: “Our MRI machine in a fast and advanced one, and is most unique, as it is an open MRI.”
The examination is known to trigger claustrophobia and anxiety in patients due to the need to lie very still in a circular tube that completely encases the individual for a period of time. As opposed to this, an open MRI machine is a large ring through which the patient passes; the sides of the machine remain ‘open’, greatly reducing discomfort.
“The imaging takes place fast; about 15 minutes only for each study. There are no annoying sounds which are common in other machines. This new version of the open MRI is very efficient for spine and brain imaging,” says Dr Meer.
Another restriction with conventional MRI machines is that any foreign objects in the body, such as implants, can interfere with the imaging. “With the open MRI, this is greatly reduced, resulting in reduced image destruction,” says Dr Meer.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses magnetism and radio waves to project images of detailed pictures of organs, soft tissues, bone and virtually all other internal body structures onto a computer. It enables doctors to evaluate and determine the presence of diseases.
Look Timeless
The Bahrain Specialist Hospital (BSH) strives to be a healthcare facility that provides the latest medical services through trained and certified professionals. Its plastic surgery division offers the latest aesthetic treatments, one of which is High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) – a modern, non-invasive procedure for facial lifting and tightening.
Plastic, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery consultant at BSH, Dr Salil Bharadwaj, says: “HIFU is very new in the region, and has shown a lot of promise. One of the most popular brands of HIFU is Ultherapy or Ulthera. It is an effective facial tightening tool, particularly in the mild to moderately aged patient.
“Although the treatment is non-invasive and results cannot be compared to those of a surgical facelift, it has an effect that is beyond just skin deep. Unlike earlier treatments, this machine allows you to go deeper into the muscle.
Facial ageing is more of a muscle phenomenon, rather than just a skin problem. The underlying layer of ageing muscle is what makes the face look older.
“Modern strategies include replacing the volume that has been lost due to fat atrophy, as well as tightening the deeper musculature in an anatomically correct direction. Unlike before, where we would stretch it backwards, now it is the upward direction which is important, to defy
the effects of gravity and other factors of ageing.”
The immediate effects of the HIFU machine further improve over the course of two to three months. It is recognised for its efficacy and also for being natural and easily tolerated. The procedure takes all of 20 minutes and a topical anaesthetic is applied to the face to make it a pain-free procedure. “It is recommended to be done once a year. Since we have offered this at BSH, we have had a very good response and happy patients,” says
Dr Bharadwaj.
Sporting Matters
American Mission Hospital’s (AMH’s) new centre set to open in Riffa come January 2018 will be the largest satellite clinic under its umbrella. Dr George Cheriyan, CEO and chief medical officer of AMH, says: “It will be unique because of its state-of-the-art rehabilitation and physiotherapy facilities, including the largest hydrotherapy pool on the island.”
He informs us that a dedicated sports medicine clinic is going to be run here by one of the most famous sports medicine doctors from Italy, Dr Paolo Villigio. He is the personal physician of Lewis Hamilton of Formula One’s Mercedes team.
“One aspect of sports medicine is assessment of potential athletes. Young aspirants are evaluated for their physical and psychological characteristics to gauge their ability to compete at international levels. Another aspect is preventive measures taken for established athletes who are already performing in high-pressure environments. Sports doctors work to optimise their fitness, both physically and emotionally, so as to enable them to avoid injury and compete for as long as possible.
“Timely and appropriate treatment of injury is the third aspect of this specialised field. The centre will have niche experts, whose knowledge and skill surpasses that of regular physicians or orthopaedic surgeons,” he states.
“In addition to a fully fledged clinic, AMH Riffa will also have a wellness centre that tackles obesity, diabetes or pre-diabetes with advice from a dietician and prescribed workouts with trainers on site, as well as water aerobics when necessary. This makes it a one-stop healthcare centre that is easily accessible by all,” says Dr Cheriyan.
Traditional physiotherapy and rehabilitation will also be available for patients of all ages, cutting down the wait they endure for their treatment at other hospitals in Bahrain.
