In a pioneering move to restore mobility and dignity to amputees affected by trauma and conflict, Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, Founder and Chairman of Burjeel Holdings, has announced the launch of a philanthropic initiative worth AED 4 million. The program will pro-vide 10 advanced osseointegration surgeries — completely free of charge — to underprivileged individuals living with limb loss.
The announcement was made during the inauguration of the Al Muderis Osseointegration Clinic at Burjeel Medical City (BMC) in Abu Dhabi, a first-of-its-kind center in the Middle East, launched in collaboration with the Paley Middle East Clinic. The clinic will be led by Prof. Dr. Munjed Al Muderis, a globally renowned orthopedic surgeon and pioneer of osseointegration technology.
“In the Year of the Community, it is our responsibility to support those who need advanced care and help bring them back to normal life,” said Dr. Shamsheer. “I believe we’ll do many more cases, but when it begins with a touch of generosity, we’ve already succeeded.”
Transformative Technology Comes to the UAE
Osseointegration is a next-generation surgical technique that directly anchors a titanium im-plant into the patient’s bone, allowing a prosthetic limb to be securely attached. Unlike tradi-tional socket-based prosthetics, this approach offers significantly improved comfort, mobility, and stability — with reduced rehabilitation time.
The Osseointegrated Prosthetic Limb (OPL) system also enables osseoperception, a phenome-non where users regain sensory feedback, allowing a more lifelike and intuitive experience.
“Mobility is life,” said Prof. Dr. Al Muderis. “Our mission is to ensure that limb loss never de-fines or limits a person’s future. This initiative will empower people, including those with the most complex injuries, to reclaim their independence and quality of life.”
Prof. Al Muderis, himself a former refugee from Iraq who became one of the world’s leading orthopedic surgeons, has performed over 1,200 such surgeries globally. His involvement in the Abu Dhabi-based clinic brings international expertise directly to patients in the region.
A Community-Centric Commitment
A multidisciplinary team will assess and select the beneficiaries of the initiative based on clini-cal evaluation and medical need. The first round of cases will be announced in the coming weeks.
This initiative not only reflects Burjeel Holdings’ commitment to humanitarian healthcare but also marks a major leap in bringing global innovations to the Middle East. It sets a new bench-mark for inclusive, patient-centered care that combines compassion with cutting-edge technology.
