Al Tunaiji takes part in the Fellowship for Football Medicine Programme

 

Dr. Hashel Al Tunaiji reopresented the sports medicine committee of the UAEFA in the AFC Travelling Fellowship for Football Medicine Programm, Doha, Qatar from January 4 to 18 at the Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital.

Nine participants took part in this year’s edition of the fellowship programme which was held at three separate venues hosted by Aspetar, Siriraj Hospital in the Faculty of Medicine at Mahidol University in Thailand and the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI).


Aspetar played host for three of the fellows, Yaser Khairalla from Jordan, Iraqi Dr. Qasim Al Janabi and Dr. Hashel Al Tunaiji of the UAE.
“Aspetar is proud to be the host of the AFC fellowship programme for the third time,” said its Sports Medicine Physician Dr. Robbart van Linschoten. “The various departments at Aspetar have been keen to receive the fellows and to be a part of a knowledgeable sports medicine society and to share their football-specific knowledge with the AFC fellows.

“This fellowship is bringing the international group of sports practitioners at Aspetar in close contact with the fellows leading to interesting meetings and discussions.”
Dr. van Linschoten has explained the difference in terms of contents of Aspetar’s programme for the fellows this year compared to that of last year.

“Based on the success of the 2013 fellowship programme, only minor revisions have been made this year throughout the programme,” he said. “In 2014 the fellows have benefited from visiting an international football match that was played in Doha.
“Besides, they have participated in a football medicine conference that was held at Aspetar and organised for the Dutch Football Association doctors and their Qatari counterparts at the end of the week.
“Shadowing the various specialists at Aspetar in the sports medicine, orthopedics and radiology clinics has been the mainstay of the programme. Next to that, meetings were organised with the department of sports science and rehabilitation.”
Dr. van Linschoten was also impressed by the active participation of the three fellows during their programme in Aspetar.

“The three fellows presented at Aspetar’s weekly lecture about football medical topics they had interest in,” he said. “The presentations were well received and followed by plenary discussions. The general conclusion is that all fellows showed an active approach towards the fellowship programme both from a professional and social perspective.

“After an intense week, the programme was concluded with a full-day football conference on Saturday in which the fellows were fully and actively engaged.”

Dr. van Linschoten is confident that the AFC Travelling Fellowship programme will benefit football medicine in Asia and pleased with the fact that the fellows will have ongoing contact with Aspetar staff even after the porgramme is over.

“We definitely think that the programme and the meetings have led to good understanding and increasing knowledge about football medicine,” said Dr. van Linschoten.
“The meetings have been open and friendly between the fellows and the various staff members of Aspetar. Addresses have been exchanged among the participants for ongoing contact between the fellows and the Aspetar staff.”

Aspetar, one of the FIFA Medical Centres of Excellence situated in all five continents, had hosted the AFC Travelling Fellowship for Football Medicine programme in 2012 and 2013.
The AFC Travelling Fellowship programme is a positive step forward in the AFC’s pursuit to raise the standard of football medicine and player healthcare in Asia.