Gulf doctors honoured at the 2012 Middle East OTO Awards 

(MENAFN Press) Dubai, UAE: The 2012 Middle East OTO Awards got underway this morning with a prize giving ceremony held on the opening day of the 9th Middle East Update in Otolaryngology Conference & Exhibition (Head and Neck Surgery). The Awards were established to honour otolaryngologists and ENT physicians in the Middle East for their contribution to the field.

The Otolaryngology Conference is produced by Informa Exhibitions and accredited by the Cleveland Clinic. Supported by the UAE Ministry of Health and the Dubai Health Authority, this event is sponsored by Karl Storz, Medtronic, GSK and MSD, and will host more than 120 internally renowned speakers and 600 healthcare professionals who will focus on the most recent advances in ENT disorders such as chronic sinusitis, paediatric otolaryngology, head and neck cancer, cochlear implants and laryngology. The event continues on 23-24 April at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai.

At this morning's Awards ceremony, the Karl Storz Award for Excellence in Teaching was presented to Nabeel Fuleihan from Beirut, Lebanon. The award honours the person who has contributed significantly to the education of ENT physicians in the Middle East.

The "Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair" Award for Service to the Deaf was established in association with MED-EL and, bearing the names of its cofounders, the award honours programmes and physicians who devoted much of their life to the care of the hearing impaired in the Middle East. This award was presented to Dr. Abdulrahman Al Hagr from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The most significant award of the day was the Arab Health Personal and Professional Achievement Award established in association with Arab Health. The Award honours otolaryngologists who have exemplified through their personal life and professional careers deep commitment to the culture and values of the different communities in the Middle East along with determination to further scientific, medical and general development in the region. This year's Award went to Prof. Akram Hajjar from Damascus, Syria.

The Otolaryngology Exhibition showcases the latest technologies and product launches from manufacturers and distributors from the ENT world. This year, Cochlear Ltd, the biggest manufacturer of implantable hearing solutions in the world, has launched its new Arabic-language website at the symposium.

"In a user-friendly, modern website structure, interested parties and parents of children born deaf in all Arabic countries can now easily find their way to a wealth of information about hearing and hearing deficiencies as well as about Cochlear's hearing solutions and their field of application." says Mr Frank Koall, Head of Distributor Operations and Turkey, Cochlear AG, Basel, Switzerland. "The Middle East is one of our most important markets; we have good contacts and relationships to key opinion leaders in this area and hope to deepen the collaboration with them and their clinics at OTO 2012."

Also exhibiting at OTO 2012 are Leader Healthcare, a UAE-based medical equipment marketing and services company, who are showcasing the brand Spiggle & Theis, which has developed a new method for treating Obstructive Eustachian Tube Dysfunction.

According to Shabnam Ansari, Head of Marketing, Leader Healthcare, "So far, the condition has been managed but not treated. The revolutionary procedure is called Balloon Dilation Eustachian Tuboplasty and the method involves a balloon dilatation with a set of especially designed instruments. The procedure is easy, quiet and can be performed with minimal trauma to the patient. Leader Healthcare believes that OTO 2012 is the right platform to launch new and exciting products each year. The event sees participation from luminaries in the field each year, making it a satisfying and successful launch pad for our products."

The Otolaryngology Conference and Exhibition is open to all trade visitors and healthcare professionals and will continue on 23 & 24 April, from 10am and 6pm. For further information on attending the event, please call 971 (0)4 336 7334 or visit www.me-oto.com.