Hany Atalah, MD, Medical Director of Robotics for Navicent Health, and John Williams, MD, General Surgeon with Macon Surgical Associates, travelled to Qatar this month to perform robotic procedures, follow up appointments and robotic surgical education at Al Wakra Hospital in Doha, Qatar.
 
Dr. Atalah performed the first robotic ventral hernia repair and the first robotic hiatal hernia repair in Qatar using the da Vinci Xi surgical robot, which is also frequently used for patients at Navicent Health. Dr. Atalah – a seasoned healthcare executive, clinician and researcher with more than 20 years experience in general and pediatric surgery – is an expert in robotics and specializes in minimally invasive surgical oncology. He has been a frequent visitor in Doha since 2011, visiting the city two to three times per year to teach and perform cases.
 
“I enjoy traveling to other countries to teach and train new surgeons on robotic technology, and to help patients who need specialized care that can only be achieved through high quality robotic skill,” said Dr. Atalah.
 
This trip marks Dr. Williams’ second journey to Qatar. Dr. Williams visited Al Wakra Hospital in March 2016 to educate physicians there on robotics and to perform approximately 10 robotic-assisted operations. He returned to the hospital this month to follow up with the patients’ progress and to continue physician training.

Founded in 2012, Al Wakra Hospital is a general hospital that has been designed and staffed to meet the changing needs and expectations of the growing population in southern Qatar. Al Wakra Hospital provides comprehensive, high quality healthcare to people of all ages, from emergency care to general medicine and surgery and highly specialized treatments. The hospital is committed to delivering effective and efficient diagnostic and treatment services to patients, benefiting the local community by providing access to state-of-the-art healthcare services close to home.
The daVinci® robotic surgery system assists surgeons at Navicent Health as they perform minimally invasive surgeries. Navicent Health was the first hospital in central Georgia to acquire the daVinci technology in 2007, and since that time the robotic system has assisted cardiologists, colorectal surgeons, general surgeons, gynecologists, gynecological oncologists, surgical oncologists, pediatric surgeons and urologists. Patients benefit from the less invasive surgery method offered by da Vinci Xi in several ways. With daVinci Xi, the patient may experience less pain, less blood loss, fewer stitches, less need for narcotics, faster recovery time and a quicker return to normal activities.
 
“At Navicent Health, we are committed to teaching, research, and using the latest in cutting edge technology. We are pleased to extend our commitment in order to assist healthcare providers and patients worldwide,” said Dr. Atalah.