Minister Leads Surgery to Separate Siamese Twins

Surgery to separate conjoined twins, Abdullah and Salman, an operation undertaken at the order of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah, began at the National Guards' King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh on Friday.

Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah heads the surgical team, which includes 30 specialists in addition to other medical staff.

The nine-hour surgery on the twins involves eight stages beginning with complete anesthetizing of the patients. The actual separation begins in the fourth stage of the operation. The next stage involves the repair of the separated parts, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Preliminary investigations show that the surgery has a 70 percent possibility of success. Medical and nursing students are also present at the theater.

KKESH Celebrates Graduation of 16 Specialist Doctors

The King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH) recently celebrated the graduation of 16 doctors with minute specializations of ophthalmic medicine and surgery.

The hospital's executive director general, Dr. Abdul Elah Al-Towerki, chaired the event which was attended by international and domestic luminaries in the field of medicine. They included Dr. Ashley Behrens, dean of the Medical College and supervisor of Hospitals at the university; Dr. Mubarak Al-Faran, chairman of the Science Council of Ophthalmic Medicine and Surgery in the Saudi Council of Health Specializations, and Dr. Khaled Tabarah, head of the Department of Ophthalmic Medicine and Surgery at the King Saud University.

In his remarks, Al-Towerki recounted that the program developed in 1994 is considered the first in minute ophthalmic specializations. The program at KKESH is also considered the most successful and prestigious program for ophthalmological higher studies in the Kingdom.

Urinary Incontinence: Rating Surgeries

Sling Procedure May Trump Burch Colposuspension, but May Increase Side Effects

King Orders Two Medical Cities for Riyadh, Jeddah

JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has ordered the construction of two medical cities in Riyadh and Jeddah under the Ministry of Interior, Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Naif announced yesterday.

"King Abdullah's gesture reflects his care for the security officers and their families," the minister said, adding that the two medical cities would provide specialized health services to all citizens in the Kingdom.

Prince Muhammad said the two medical cities, with advanced facilities and specialist doctors, would receive patients transferred from other hospitals including the ministry's hospitals in different parts of the country.

"There is a plan to establish a network of hospitals under the ministry as part of efforts to provide integrated medical services," the prince said. "The two medical cities in Riyadh and Jeddah were planned to provide specialized health services to the ministry's staff and security officers," he added. Prince Muhammad thanked the king for the gesture.

The Truth About Vitamin D: How Much Vitamin D...

The Truth About Vitamin D: How Much Vitamin D Do You Need?

Simple Eye Scan can Predict...

Simple Eye Scan can Predict How Quickly Multiple Sclerosis Patients will Decline

A quick and easy eye test could offer an effective way of measuring how fast multiple sclerosis is progressing in someone with the disease.

Researchers performed scans on 164 M.S patients that measured the thickness of the lining at the back of the eye.

The team from John Hopkins University found patients with thinning of the retina had both earlier and more active forms of the disease.

The scan, known as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), takes just a few minutes per eye and can be performed at a GPs surgery.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord, causing problems with muscle movement, balance and vision.

Handicapped to be Engaged in Saudization Process

Abdulaziz Al-Awad, deputy executive manager at the National Guard Health Affairs and head of employment of persons with special needs, announced a special committee for the employment of persons with special needs had been set up in compliance with the directions of the Royal Court to engage persons with handicaps in the development march toward the Saudization of jobs.

In his opening speech during the launch of the awareness campaign of the World Day for Persons with Disabilities at King Abdul Aziz Medical City in Jeddah, he stressed on the social responsibility of his department and on the promotion of equality in job opportunities. He said the special committee that had been formed for this purpose included members of different departments and institutions.

Simple Eye Scan can Reveal Extent of Multiple Sclerosis

A simple eye test may offer a fast and easy way to monitor patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), medical experts say in the journal Neurology.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a scan that measures the thickness of the lining at the back of the eye - the retina.

It takes a few minutes per eye and can be performed in a doctor's surgery.

In a trial involving 164 people with MS, those with thinning of their retina had earlier and more active MS.

Panel Set to Review Cause of Child's Death

JEDDAH — The case of Salim, the child who allegedly died due to an excessive blood transfusion, has taken new twists with the Jeddah Health Directorate setting up a committee to review the case.

The accused doctor has also returned to Jeddah and was questioned about the circumstances of the case, while the medical team who were in attendance has been banned from traveling.

The health directorate said a committee was formed to review the case and it will decide if the child's death was due to malpractice.

Hospital Apologises to 38 Families for Appalling Care...

Hospital Apologises to 38 Families for Appalling Care that Saw a Patient Starve to Death

An NHS hospital has apologised to 38 families after a patient starved to death and it left other dying people screaming in pain.

Alexandra Hospital in Redditch is writing to 38 families after a massive legal action that exposed years of bad practice, ranging from nurses taunting patients to leaving an elderly woman unwashed for 11 weeks.

In one of the worst cases, a man had starvation recorded as the cause of his death after being treated at the hospital for two months.

Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, said last night that he was "disgusted and appalled" by what the families had been through, and that the Government was acting to ensure that failings in care were detected more quickly.