Creating the Best Working Environment for Rehabilitation Patients

Oct. 5, 2009 - PRLog -- Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Rehabilitation, whether required post-operatively or due to the loss of mobility or speech is a rapidly expanding segment of the Middle East healthcare sector. Both the government and private healthcare sector in the UAE is investing more resources into rehabilitation and industry events such as the Middle East Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Exhibition & Congress (Middle East Rehab), taking place from 11 to 13 October 2009 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), are becoming increasingly pivotal in ensuring that latest techniques are explored and technologies applied to rehabilitation and physical medicine across the Middle East.

Now running as part of the Abu Dhabi Medical Congress, an IIR Middle East Life Sciences event, for the first time in the region Middle East Rehab will showcase a virtual REHAB unit that will allow industry professionals to demonstrate how their product or technology works in practise. Two members of the Danish Rehabilitation Group (DRG), Pressalit Care and Guldmann, will use the virtual REHAB area to present a solution for hospital bathrooms, traditionally difficult areas for patients undergoing rehab that will enable patients in rehabilitation to manoeuvre safely without further risk to their health.  

Chairman of DRG, Mr Bendt Apollo Rasmussen, believes that high-grade equipment is key to successful rehabilitation of patients and that Danish expertise is world-class due to their commitment to improving the working environment, as well as patient safety.

“It is a question of trying to build in a high-degree of flexibility for all aspects of the patient’s rehabilitation programme, including the use of hospital bathrooms. This could be as simple as fitting in a seat to accommodate standing, sitting, or someone who is tall or short,” says Mr Rasmussen. “Back injuries are a major concern and to make the transfer of persons as safe and as convenient as possible, a ceiling hoist should be installed. The Guldmann hoist has an in-built scale to assess the weight of the individual and a service module to control all the technical aspects of the hoist to increase safety.”

The virtual REHAB unit will be an interactive experience for delegates, who can meet with dealers, distributors, manufacturers and services providers together with the region's key decision makers and influential end users, and it will allow them to view demonstrations of the latest technology and medical machinery.

“For DRG it is important to touch base with clients in this region to share the experience we have built up over more than 25 years in the industry,” says Mr Rasmussen. “We know that rehabilitation in this region only began to emerge as a serious discipline a few years ago and has now started to escalate. By participating in this type of event we realise the importance of establishing contacts across borders for the sake of improving rehabilitation and related activities across the board.”

As Chair of Middle East Rehab, Dr Sabahat Asim Wasti, Consultant in Physical Medicine at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi has wide experience in implementing rehabilitation systems. He believes the UAE should focus on service development in this field.

“In developed health care systems around the world, rehabilitation is now an essential component of most clinical pathways,” says Dr Wasti. “In developing or emerging health communities such as ours in the United Arab Emirates, rehabilitation is in the early stages of development.”

“Middle East Rehab will focus on service development issues as well as bringing the audience up to date with the latest developments in the field. We have been successful in securing the support of international societies and this has enabled us to put together an exciting conference program. I believe that colleagues who are directly or indirectly involved in the field of rehabilitation within the UAE and surrounding areas should do their utmost to attend as this is a unique opportunity for our region".

For more information about the Danish Rehabilitation Group’s virtual REHAB demonstration please call +971 4 407 2743 or visit www.me-rehab.com for details on attending this much anticipated event.

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Note to Editors

About Middle East Rehab 2009:
Middle East Rehab will make its debut as part of the expanding Abu Dhabi Medical Congress 2009. Held in 2007, the inaugural event was launched as part of the Arab Health Exhibition & Congress; however, in recognition of the growth this sector of the healthcare market is experiencing, the show has moved to the Abu Dhabi Medical Congress, allowing the event to expand at a rate more proportionate to the sector's growth. www.me-rehab.com

About DRG:
For more information about the Danish Rehab Group, please visit www.rehabgroup.dk

About Pressalit Care:
For more information regarding Pressalit Care, please visit www.pressalitcare.com.

About Guldmann:
For more information regarding Guldmann, please visit www.guldmann.com

For media enquiries please contact:
Inga Stevens
PR Manager
Life Sciences Division
IIR Middle East
T: +971 4 407 2743
F: +971 4 336 4021
inga.stevens@iirme.com