'The Million Women March for Endometriosis'

KUWAIT: Dr Salma Kayani, Director of Endometriosis Centre.

KUWAIT: As part of the global effort, we are pleased to announce that Taiba Hospital is once again leading the Middle East in the worldwide event called the Million Women March for Endometriosis.

Dr Salma Kayani, as Director of Endometriosis Centre, is pleased to formally announce that Kuwait is the only country in the Middle East and Taiba Hospital is the only Hospital in the region to formally stand up and show that they care about the health of their girls/women and are committed to treat this devastating disease called Endometriosis.

Through this article, we would like to introduce you to this ancient, but poorly understood disease, called Endometriosis.  Endometriosis is a medical condition, which affects our girls and women, between the ages of 10 to 50. It can simply be described as a condition in which the lining of the uterus starts appearing outside the uterus in different shapes and sizes on different structures of the pelvis like - ovaries, tubes, bowel, vagina, urinary system etc. It causes severe pain and difficulty or inability to become pregnant by damaging the female pelvic organs. It is the disease of the female reproductive system, but, can spread, invade and cause damage to other parts of the body too.

It is one of the major causes of infertility and in extreme cases Endometriosis can develop into cancer. Worldwide 1 in 10 women suffer from Endometriosis and alarmingly this number increases to 1 in 5 women in Kuwait. This means that a significant number of women and teenage girls are suffering with this debilitating disease in Kuwait and sadly we know least about this disease!

Research has proven that Endometriosis often goes undiagnosed for 6-11 years from the initial symptoms, because the pain may be mistaken for normal menstrual pain, and it can mimic other diseases. As a result, pre-teens and teenagers have particularly high rates of misdiagnosis. Once married, these young women suffer from even more pain and infertility for the rest of their reproductive lives. Therefore it is no surprise that Endometriosis is also called the 'Invisible Disease' - because despite its high prevalence, research has proven that it remains the least known condition worldwide.

Internationally recognized

Dr Salma Kayani, Consultant and Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department and Director of Endometriosis Center at Taiba Hospital, is the Kuwait Chair for Endometriosis. She has been formally trained in the medical and surgical treatment of Endometriosis by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). She is internationally recognised and is an authority on Endometriosis with many international publications. She is among the pioneers who developed Endometriosis services in the UK and has been providing this state-of-the-art service in Kuwait for the last four and a half years. In 2013, Dr Salma together with the support of Taiba Hospital Senior Management established a dedicated medical and surgical service of an international standard for the treatment of Endometriosis, which was recognized by leading world organisations. In 2014, this Endometriosis service received the 7th Annual National Award of Excellence in Healthcare presented by the Kuwait National Petroleum Company and Health Safety & Environment Agency of Kuwait.

The good news and most important thing to keep in mind is, that this disease is now treatable and therefore its devastating effects can be avoided. Now Dr  Salma Kayani and the visionary management team at Taiba Hospital have made a commitment, that together, they will control and eradicate this devastating disease, seriously harming the lives of our women in Kuwait and the Middle East.

So now, the local female population of Kuwait who used to travel all the way to UK, Europe and US for their treatments, has the world-class Endometriosis service at their doorstep in their own Taiba Hospital.

This is our call to all the people of Kuwait that now it is time to "Raise Your Yellow Flag Before It Turns Red". Across the globe, millions of people are taking part to raise awareness of Endometriosis. Taiba Hospital is keeping with its tradition of patient care as its core value, has been leading this campaign in the Middle East region for the last 4 years. Dr Salma Kayani and Taiba Hospital are committed to Excellence in female healthcare.

To show your solidarity with this global effort and to increase your awareness about Endometriosis, please join us on Saturday  March 25th ,2017, at Yarmouk Cultural Centre, to participate in this worldwide event - the Million Women March for Endometriosis.