Al Qassimi Hospital performs Middle East’s first procedure using advanced spinal titanium implant

A patient in chronic pain walked out of a Sharjah hospital having received a spinal procedure that had never been performed anywhere else in the Middle East. That detail alone tells you something about where the UAE's healthcare ambitions currently stand.

Al Qassimi Hospital, operating under Emirates Health Services (EHS), carried out the region's first spinal stabilisation procedure using the ROCCIA MultiLIF Titanium implant. The patient had been suffering from severe chronic pain caused by advanced spinal canal stenosis, a condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the surrounding nerves, restricting movement and significantly reducing quality of life. The procedure relieved that nerve pressure, restored spinal stability, and resulted in a shorter hospital stay than conventional surgical approaches would typically require.

How did it work?

The operation was led by Dr Fawaz Al Hazzaz, Consultant and Head of the Spine Surgery Department at Al Qassimi Hospital. It involved widening the spinal canal and stabilising the affected vertebrae using the ROCCIA MultiLIF Titanium implant, which is designed with load distribution and bone fusion in mind.

According to Dr Al Hazzaz, the implant's engineering allows for greater surgical precision than older methods. It spreads mechanical load more evenly across the spine, encourages natural bone fusion over time, and reduces the likelihood of complications or the need for repeat surgery. The design also limits trauma to the surrounding soft tissue, which translates directly into less post-operative pain for the patient and a faster return to daily activities.

• Widening of the spinal canal to relieve nerve compression
• Vertebral stabilisation using the ROCCIA MultiLIF Titanium implant
• Optimised load distribution to reduce stress on the spine
• Promotion of natural bone fusion to support long-term stability
• Reduced soft tissue trauma compared to conventional surgical techniques

Why does it matter?

Spinal canal stenosis is common, particularly among older populations, and it is often undertreated because patients either lack access to advanced surgical options or are considered too high-risk for major procedures. Implant technology that reduces operative trauma and recovery time changes that calculation. It opens the door to treating patients who might otherwise have been managed with pain medication alone.

For the UAE, this is also a reputational milestone. Dr Arif Al Nooryani, CEO and Head of the Cardiac Centre at Al Qassimi Hospital, said the procedure reflects EHS's commitment to bringing internationally recognised medical technologies into its facilities and building a genuine culture of clinical innovation. Al Qassimi is positioning itself as a regional referral centre, meaning patients from across the Gulf may eventually travel to Sharjah for procedures that are not available closer to home. That is a significant shift in how medical tourism flows tend to work in this part of the world.

The context

This procedure sits squarely within the UAE's broader push to modernise its healthcare infrastructure. Under the country's national development agenda, health has been identified as a strategic sector, with investment going into both facilities and the recruitment of specialised clinical talent. EHS has been a consistent driver of that agenda, introducing advanced surgical techniques across its hospital network and expanding the range of complex procedures available to patients within the public system.

The timing also matters regionally. Across the GCC, governments are working to reduce medical referrals abroad, keep healthcare spending within their borders, and attract patients from neighbouring countries. A first-in-the-Middle-East procedure at a public hospital in Sharjah is exactly the kind of outcome those policies are designed to produce. And with spinal conditions affecting a large share of the region's ageing and increasingly sedentary population, the clinical demand for this kind of surgical capability is only going to grow.