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.



Italy’s Olympic Flag Bearer Tamberi Loses His Wedding Ring in the Seine River

Gianmarco Tamberi waves an Italian flag as the Italian team parades along the Seine river in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024 (AP)
Gianmarco Tamberi waves an Italian flag as the Italian team parades along the Seine river in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024 (AP)
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Italy’s Olympic Flag Bearer Tamberi Loses His Wedding Ring in the Seine River

Gianmarco Tamberi waves an Italian flag as the Italian team parades along the Seine river in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024 (AP)
Gianmarco Tamberi waves an Italian flag as the Italian team parades along the Seine river in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024 (AP)

Drama is never far from the surface when it comes to flamboyant high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi and big events.

This time it involved what went below the surface.

The Italian lost his wedding ring in the Seine River during the rainy opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

“I’m sorry my love, I’m really, really sorry,” Tamberi wrote in an open letter of apology he posted on Instagram on Saturday to his wife of two years, Chiara Bontempi.

“Too much water, too many kilograms lost over the last few months and maybe the uncontrollable enthusiasm of what we were doing. Probably all three things,” added Tamberi, who shared flag-bearing duties for Italy with fencer Arianna Errigo during Friday's ceremony, which featured boats parading athletes instead of the usual procession inside a stadium.

Last month, Tamberi pretended to hide springs in his shoes when he won gold at the European Championships then jumped into the arms of Italy President Sergio Mattarella. And when he shared gold with his good friend Mutaz Barshim at the Tokyo Games, Tamberi celebrated wildly, which drew more attention than his performance.

Tamberi, along with Errigo, had the honor of flying to Paris on the presidential plane with Mattarella, which he called “the most emotional flight of my life” — a play on words with his jumping “flights."

Tamberi said he felt the ring sliding off his finger and saw it dropping as Italy cruised down the Seine on a boat with Israel and Jamaica.

“I followed it until I saw it bounce inside the boat,” he said. “But the rebound went in the wrong direction unfortunately. ... But if it had to happen, if I really had to lose this ring, I couldn’t imagine a better place. It will remain forever on the riverbed in the City of Love.”

Tamberi is favored to win another gold when the men’s high jump competition starts Aug. 7.

“Hopefully this is a sign that I’ll come home with an ever bigger gold medal,” he said.

Tamberi invited his wife to throw her ring into the Seine, too.

“Then they’ll be together forever,” Tamber said, “and we’ll have another reason to renew our vows.”