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For 1st Time in Saudi Arabia, Facility for Prosthetics Using 3D Technology

The use of the digital industry in the manufacture of limbs reduces the chance of human errors (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The use of the digital industry in the manufacture of limbs reduces the chance of human errors (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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For 1st Time in Saudi Arabia, Facility for Prosthetics Using 3D Technology

The use of the digital industry in the manufacture of limbs reduces the chance of human errors (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The use of the digital industry in the manufacture of limbs reduces the chance of human errors (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Heal-Tec, a Saudi-based medical rehabilitation manufacturing facility, is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia to manufacture prostheses, prosthetic devices and aids using digital industry that includes scanning and 3D printing.

Co-founded in 2020 by Dr. Hashim AlZain and Eng. Ayman Noori, HealTec is a dedicated B2B healthcare rehabilitation manufacturing facility that enables the local production of medical prosthetics and other devices to serve long-term care and rehabilitation patients.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, AlZain said that the use of digital industry in the manufacture of prosthetics has many benefits, including accuracy of measurements and speed of response, as it allows the production of accurate and complex parts more and faster than traditional methods, allowing patients to have a quick treatment and recovery.

According to AlZain, previous traditional methods were done either by using gypsum or meter measurements, and depended on the skill of the service provider; thus, human errors were frequent. But the use of this technology has greatly reduced these risks, he underlined.

AlZain noted that the size of the prosthetics market amounted to 3.7 billion Saudi riyals annually. He added that during the next five years, the factory’s share would reach 85 million riyals, to cover approximately 40 percent of the local needs.

Service providers in hospitals and rehabilitation centers usually import all the material from outside the Kingdom, which necessitates a long period of supply. Prosthetics and auxiliary devices may take more than three weeks to be supplied, which causes a backlog in appointments.

HealTec provides its manufacturing services to rehabilitation hospitals and healthcare centers across the Kingdom in record time compared to the traditional means, which rely heavily on imports.

The factory is also able to export prosthetics, devices, and aids to neighboring countries through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, which enhances the implementation of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

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US Moves to Protect All Species of Pangolin, World’s Most Trafficked Mammal

A Malaysian pangolin walks past cages containing 45 others as a wildlife officer watches in Kuala Lumpur August 8, 2002. (Reuters)
A Malaysian pangolin walks past cages containing 45 others as a wildlife officer watches in Kuala Lumpur August 8, 2002. (Reuters)
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US Moves to Protect All Species of Pangolin, World’s Most Trafficked Mammal

A Malaysian pangolin walks past cages containing 45 others as a wildlife officer watches in Kuala Lumpur August 8, 2002. (Reuters)
A Malaysian pangolin walks past cages containing 45 others as a wildlife officer watches in Kuala Lumpur August 8, 2002. (Reuters)

The United States on Monday moved to extend federal protections to all species of pangolins -- a step that would tighten trade restrictions and highlight the urgent conservation plight of the world's only scaly mammals.

Found in the forests, woodlands, and savannas of Africa and Asia, pangolins are small, nocturnal creatures known for their distinctive appearance, slow and peaceful demeanor, and habit of curling into a ball when threatened.

Often likened to a walking pinecone, they use long, sticky tongues to feast on ants and termites, give birth to a single pup each year -- and are the most heavily trafficked mammals on Earth. Their keratin scales are coveted in traditional medicine, and their meat is also considered a delicacy in some regions.

Despite steep population declines driven by poaching, habitat loss, and inbreeding, only one species -- Temminck's pangolin of Africa -- is currently protected under the US Endangered Species Act. Monday's proposal by the US Fish and Wildlife Service would extend that status to all eight known species.

In a statement, the agency said it intends to list the four Asian species -- Chinese, Indian, Sunda, and Philippine -- as well as the three other African species: white-bellied, black-bellied, and giant pangolins.

"I'm delighted the United States is doing its part to save these adorably odd creatures," said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

"Pangolins are on the razor's edge of extinction, and we need to completely shut down any US market for their scales. There's no good reason for anybody to ingest any part of a pangolin."

Pangolins are currently protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which prohibits international trade for commercial purposes and allows it only under exceptional circumstances.

Still, the illegal trade persists.

In April, Nigerian authorities seized nearly four tons of trafficked pangolin scales, representing the slaughter of some 2,000 animals. In November 2024, Indonesian officials intercepted another 1.2 tons.

US demand remains a factor. Between 2016 and 2020, border officials intercepted 76 shipments of pangolin parts, including scales and products marketed for traditional medicine, according to public data.