The quiet health-care revolution is beginning to gather momentum in Dubai as a second patient has benefited from custom-built 3D printed legs.
Champion Emirati wheelchair racer Fahad Ali can now walk with the maximum feeling of anatomical function thanks to his new 3D prosthetics.
Mr Ali, 25, an engineer in Dubai with Dewa, has been wearing prosthetic legs for about 15 years.
On his old prosthetic limbs, Mr Ali was limping, but now walks much more freely with his new perfectly fitted legs, thanks to a partnership with Dubai Heath Authority and the private health-care sector.
“My life has been transformed,” he said.
“The 3D prosthetics make me feel like I’ve got my legs back, it’s simply incredible. I can do more sports, and wear shorts without people staring at me.
“People are interested and want to know more about what they are, they are intrigued.
“I’m more confident, it doesn’t look like I’m disabled. The difference is like night and day.”
The first 3D template printed in Dubai two years ago was a cast for a hand. And the first prosthetic printed for a patient was a leg for British expat Belinda Gatland who lost her leg in a horse-riding accident.
Belinda was the first amputee in the region to wear a completely 3D printed prosthetic leg as part of the DHA's Year of Giving initiative in 2017.
3D printing is being used beyond the sphere of prosthetics in health care, with skin, pharmaceuticals and even replacement organs and human tissue using stem cells now within the realms of possibility.
The technique is performed by programming a computer to apply layers of materials, usually plastic, metal powders or stem cells, on top of another until a mould of a final product is created.
Medical technology can build tiny organs using the same techniques to create "organoids" that can grow inside the body of a sick patient to take over when an organic organ fails.
Sebastian Giede, certified orthopaedic prosthetist with Mediclinic, that has partnered with the DHA along with Mercuris and Immensa Technology Labs, to develop the 3D printing programme.
“The potential of 3D printing in the field of prosthetic devices is huge,” he said.
“It allows faster turnaround times, with a foot customised within two to three weeks.
“It provides more personalisation in terms of design, as well as great flexibility when it comes to replacement.
“Functionality is superior by allowing us to design completely individualised models, compared to mass-manufactured prosthetics.”
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The patient’s measurements are entered into the computer and a 3D scan is created of the anatomy. Doctors then press the button and build the leg.
Experts would not say if 3D printing was a cheaper option than using regular prosthetics, but said it would be available to patients in Dubai who fit certain criteria.
"Our bodies change, so every four to five years new fittings are required," Mr Giede said.
“It is much quicker with the 3D printing process and we can make minute alterations during the design process to make the limbs more comfortable and efficient.
“Prosthetics are no longer a product out of the box, and can be tailored to the individual’s exact needs.”
Turnaround time for measurements and fitting is two to three weeks, rather than the two to three months required for standard prosthetic limbs.
Once a patient’s anatomical data is stored, it is easy to develop a replacement limb when needed, doctors said.
“When I saw Mr Ali's case, I thought he was a person we could help,” said Dr Mohammad Al Redha, director of the executive office for organisational transformation at the DHA.
“It is not easy to explain 3D printing in one meeting, so we met a few times to show what we could do.
“He came up with this design using the technology, so it is very personal to him.
“Once fitted, Mr Ali's said he could feel his toes, and that gave me goosebumps.
“The design allows the feet to slide, so it gives him the sensation of having his legs back.
“The technology is developing all the time, and we would like to use it more widely in Dubai on others who may benefit from this technique.”
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
