BizBahrain Health & Wellness Supplement

dermatology it didn’t feel like a difficult thing, I did my
Masters in Dermatology and followed that with a PhD. I
graduated from King’s College, University of London with
Masters of Science and PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy) in
Clinical Dermatology. But on top of that I worked for more
than 8 years as a registrar at the St Thomas’ and Guy’ s
Hospital in the Dermatology department.
That was a time in mid to late 90’s where laser and
cosmetic dermatology was coming up, so I did my laser
training and fellowship too. This was the time when
dermatology was changing. It wasn’t any more just about
skin problems and diseases, but the aesthetic side of it
started becoming famous. I have seen it in its early stages,
and I have been trained from that early beginning.
Bringing the Knowledge home
The decision to return to Bahrain even though
we both had successful careers in the UK was not a
compromise. We came back in 2001, and I immediately
joined Salmaniya Medical Complex. Two years later I
became the Head of Dermatology and I remained in that
position for almost 8 years.
Moving to Bahrain or coming back home was always the
plan-to train and gain knowledge and then to come back to
serve our country. I know it sounds very idealistic but it was
true. By that time, we had two kids, so I came back with 2
children and a PhD!
When I joined Salmaniya I was very excited because
it was the first time I was going to work in Bahrain in
a government hospital with Bahraini patients. It was
an interesting journey because working in the UK is
one thing and working in Bahrain is a different thing. I
always considered myself lucky because I was exposed to
both worlds. I think every doctor should travel and work
somewhere else for a period because that changes a lot of
your perspective about things and the way you think, and
how you approach patients and treatments.
Different approach to practising medicine
I tried to bring back a different way of practising
medicine, where patients become decision makers, where
they are informed about their medicines, where they are
informed about their condition and they make the joint
decision with the doctor about their care. I truly believe
in patients being well informed and educated about the
disease and procedures and what they are facing. One
area of Dermatology that I have been very involved in was
Psoriasis, which quite common in Bahrain. I helped form a
support group for psoriasis patients. At Salmaniya I would
run sessions for patients and their families to help them
understand the disease and deal better with it. We provided
a Psychiatrist who advised them about how to handle
the stress and anxiety that comes with psoriasis, and a
Physiotherapist to teach them the right ways to exercise. I
wanted to change the way people handled and treated their
SERVICES
• Treatment & Management of Skin, Hair and
Nail Problems
• Botox
• Dermal Fillers
• Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) for Hair and Skin
• Laser Hair Removal
• Fractional Laser Treatment
• Fractional Radio Frequency and Micro
Needling
• Body Contouring
• Medical Facials
• HIFU- Face and Neck Tightening
diseases. I wanted to show that its not just medication; it’s a
whole lifestyle. It’s more of a holistic approach.
The move to Private practice
I started my own clinic in 2004 but I continued working
with the Ministry of Health (Salmaniya) for 11 years. I used to
go to the hospital in the morning, and in the afternoon I did
my private clinic. I personally believe that patients who go
to a free healthcare like a free government deserve to receive
the same level of service as when they come to you in your
private clinic. And that is something I made sure of, that the
private doesn’t take over your commitment to your work in
the public health sector.
After spending almost 11 years in the government
sector, I decided it was time to move on and expand my
work. When you have your own clinic, I think you can do a
lot more because the hierarchies and regulations of a larger
government hospital do not limit you, and so the next phase
in my life was to go fully private. Over time we expanded and
became Derma One Medical Centre, with more services and
specializations.
Rich learning experiences.
We doctors have to keep that focus on our innate
humaneness. Medicine is called a noble profession for a
reason and we have to make sure that no matter where we
go or how important we become, we should not lose sight of
that. If I lose that humane part of my profession then I am
no different from any other business which is just trying to
make money out of people. Ours is a calling, a service and
often it is a life changing or a life saving one.
It is very tricky especially when it comes to a speciality
like dermatology. With the cosmetic procedures, like Botox,
fillers and so on becoming so popular, it is forgotten that
Dermatology is something much more. Moreover, Cosmetic
procedure is something that should only be done by a
trained and qualified Dermatologist or Plastic Surgeon.
Unfortunately, now everybody is jumping into it. There are
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