SEHA’s Tawam Hospital hosts region’s first certified low-dose radiotherapy workshop

UAE—SEHA, a subsidiary of PureHealth and one of the Middle East’s largest healthcare providers, has announced that Tawam Hospital will host the UAE’s and the wider region’s first certified workshop on Low-Dose Radiotherapy (LDRT) for benign diseases.

The initiative marks a significant step toward expanding the use of radiation therapy beyond cancer treatment to selected inflammatory and noncancerous conditions.

The three-day programme, developed in collaboration with JointGlow, will bring together radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists, informatics specialists, healthcare administrators, and other clinical leaders.

Participants will focus on developing safe and standardized pathways for the use of LDRT in carefully selected benign conditions while aligning practices with international clinical guidelines.

Advancing new uses for radiotherapy

Although research into low-dose radiotherapy for benign diseases has shown promising results, much of the evidence is still being generated through clinical trials.

As a result, healthcare institutions across the region have been cautious in adopting the approach on a wider scale.

SEHA said the workshop will address this gap by establishing what it describes as the region’s first institution-level certification framework for the responsible implementation of LDRT.

The initiative is designed to support evidence-based clinical innovation while ensuring robust governance, patient safety, and quality assurance.

Under the programme, Tawam Hospital will receive institutional certification, while participating clinicians will earn individual certifications.

The workshop will also introduce proposed unified clinical protocols and operational workflows supported by a governance and registry framework.

This system will enable healthcare providers to track patient outcomes, monitor quality indicators, and evaluate long-term clinical effectiveness.

Focus on governance and patient safety

Dr. Khalid Balaraj, Chair of the Oncology Centre at Tawam Hospital, said the initiative reflects SEHA’s commitment to advancing patient-centred and evidence-based care.

“At Tawam Hospital, we remain focused on expanding access to innovative treatments that improve patient outcomes,” he said.

The JointGlow Low-Dose Radiotherapy initiative represents an important step toward offering safe, non-invasive treatment options for selected benign conditions within a structured clinical framework. ”

Dr. Abdulrahman Bin Sumaida, Division Chief of Radiation Oncology at Tawam Hospital, noted that the programme demonstrates the hospital’s readiness to adopt emerging radiotherapy applications in a systematic and outcomes-driven manner.

“Our focus extends beyond implementation. We want to ensure these programmes are scalable, sustainable, and capable of delivering long-term value for both patients and healthcare systems,” he said.

Dr. Khalifa Alkaabi, Consultant in Radiation Oncology at Tawam Hospital, emphasized the importance of strong oversight when introducing new therapeutic approaches.

“Low-Dose Radiotherapy for benign diseases requires rigorous governance and clinical accountability. Through this collaboration, we are ensuring that innovation is introduced safely, consistently, and with measurable impact,” he said.

Building regional expertise

The workshop will feature contributions from leading oncology and radiation oncology specialists from across the UAE, as well as international experts from JointGlow.

Organizers expect the programme to serve as a practical model for future LDRT initiatives across the UAE and the wider Gulf region, with Tawam Hospital playing a key role in training, certification, and quality oversight.

The latest initiative adds to a series of recent innovations at Tawam Hospital aimed at strengthening advanced clinical care.

Earlier this year, the hospital became the first healthcare provider in the UAE to introduce histotripsy, a non-invasive technology that uses focused ultrasound energy to treat liver tumours without surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy.

The technology has already been used to treat patients from the UAE and abroad, reinforcing Tawam Hospital’s position as a regional centre for advanced oncology services.

The launch of the LDRT certification programme further reflects SEHA’s broader strategy of expanding specialized treatment options while supporting clinical research, innovation, and workforce development across the UAE healthcare sector.