Kuwait City: Kuwaiti doctors continue to demonstrate professional excellence and progress through groundbreaking achievements in surgeries, medical innovations, and research.
According to Kuwait News Agency, these accomplishments have not only advanced the medical field within the region but have also made significant contributions to global medical development.
In April, surgeons at the Ministry of Health (MoH) set a world record by performing five consecutive remote surgeries using robots on patients with kidney and prostate cancer. These procedures, facilitated by telerobotic surgery technology, involved collaboration with external medical professionals over 7,000 kilometers away, marking a significant advancement in remote medical care.
In September 2024, the MoH reported the successful execution of Kuwait’s first kidney transplant exchange procedure between families, inaugurating the national kidney exchange program. This initiative is expected to enhance organ transplant services, reduce wait times,
and improve success rates.
Earlier, in August 2024, Dr. Abdullah Al-Kandari, a glaucoma specialist, performed a delicate eye surgery, advancing the treatment of this critical eye condition. In July 2024, a team at Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, led by Dr. Abdullah Al-Fawwaz, conducted the first surgery in the Middle East to repair an aortic arch aneurysm using a customized stent graft.
In December 2023, Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital hosted complex lymphedema surgeries, a first in Kuwait, during a workshop led by local professionals and supervised by Professor J.P. Hong from South Korea. In June 2023, the hospital also introduced a smart mesh to repair hernias and reconstruct abdominal walls, marking a first in Kuwait.
In May 2023, a Kuwaiti surgical team led by Dr. Talal Al-Qoud successfully performed a rare kidney transplant with urinary tract reconstruction on a 29-year-old patient using an uncommon transplant method. Additionally, Dr. Noura Al-Ibrahim supervised a team using an innovative method involving fluore
scent dye and gamma camera technology for laparoscopic hysterectomies to treat endometrial cancer.
Earlier developments include the successful execution of pediatric neurosurgeries in March 2023, the introduction of a new plastic surgery approach in January 2023, and the performance of Kuwait’s first simultaneous hip and knee replacement surgery.
Noteworthy milestones from previous years include Kuwait’s first AI-assisted endoscopy in November 2022, the first abdominal aortic aneurysm repair via catheter in April 2022, and the first highly delicate catheterization in February 2021.
The accomplishments in November 2020 included a unique cardiac catheterization procedure and Kuwait’s first liver transplant. In June 2020, a rare treatment of a COVID-19 infected child using ECMO was successfully performed, and in March 2019, a team led by Dr. Abdullah Al-Enezi conducted a pioneering heart valve implantation via catheter.
These achievements underscore the commitment and expertise of Kuwaiti medical professiona
ls in advancing healthcare both regionally and globally.