The University of Dammam in coordination with the Saudi Association of Neurological Surgery organized a day of education, information and entertainment for pediatric spinabifida and hydrocephalus patients and their families at King Fahd University Hospital in Al Khobar on Saturday, November 7, 2015 at the Event Hall in Housing Compound 1 from 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm.
Dr. Abdulrahman Alonizi, the Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University Hospital stated, “The idea of the event developed after the administration of the University of Dammam and King Fahd University Hospital established a groundbreaking clinic for patients with hydrocephalus and spinabifida under the supervision of the Neurosurgery Department and in cooperation with the following medical departments: orthopedics, urology, pediatrics, neurosurgery, psychiatry and physical and rehabilitation therapy."
The Jasad Organization, the Saudi Spinabifida Support Group and the Directorate of School Health at the Ministry of Education in the Eastern Province participated in the event where over 100 patients and their families attended from throughout the Kingdom. The goal of the event was to bring joy to these patients, who usually experience difficulty with transportation and are challenged with the frequency of their medical appointments.
Dr. Alonizi noted, “This state-of-the-art clinic has two goals: the first goal is to streamline medical appointments for patients by setting up one appointment where the patients will see various specialists in just one visit and the second goal is to create an environment that brings together all of the specialists who can then discuss and consult with each other each case in a group in order to develop the most effective treatment plan for each patient. This one-of-a-kind clinic is not only the first of its kind in the Kingdom, but throughout the Middle East."
