I am a Kuwaiti orthopedic surgeon specializing in chronic pain management, and I spent most of my professional career working in Canada and the United Kingdom. When I returned to Kuwait three years ago, I realized that there are some serious deficiencies in way that care is given in this country.

People seeking treatment are often rushed through assessments and prescribed standardized treatment packages that may not meet their individual needs. Moreover, patients are not always encouraged to play an active role in their own physical rehabilitation, but rather rely indefinitely on their medical providers for care. And finally, continuing education for medical professionals to update their skills is virtually non-existent. In this environment, it is not surprising that the standard of medical excellence that I had come to take for granted abroad is notably absent in my own country.

That is why the Fawzia Sultan Rehabilitation Institute was born – to help pave the way for better medical service provision in Kuwait in general. As one of the founding members of this organization, I can assure you that we have set our standards high and are striving every day, not only to meet them, but to exceed them.


- Dr. Elham Al Hamdan, MD

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
Aristotle (284-322 BC)

In most countries, variables such as an aging population, increased rates of pathologies affecting bones and joints, and improved survival rates following surgery and trauma have stimulated a growing demand for services to improve mobility, maximize function, and maintain independence. However, despite mounting demand for such services, there is limited access to quality rehabilitation services that are both evidence-based and client-centered. In this regard, the FSRI has two interrelated roles: first, to conduct clinical and health services research to more fully understand how these variables are affecting health status in Kuwait and to disseminate these findings as widely as possible, and second, to provide continuing education opportunities for health and rehabilitation professionals to more effectively address these emerging needs, while also educating members of the public, through free public lectures.

I am trained as a physical therapist, a health services researcher, and as a policy analyst in Canada, and have worked in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the Gulf region. My research interests are in the structure, process, and outcomes of health and rehabilitation services in Canada and the Gulf region, with a crucial goal of identifying strategies that will improve clinical and cost efficiencies in delivery. We at the FSRI believe strongly that it is through understanding the basic dimensions of a health system that we can effectively improve the lives of our clients, and the quality of health and rehabilitation medicine in Kuwait as a whole.

Dr. Michel D. Landry, PT, PhD

As a practicing physiotherapist, I have dedicated my professional life to providing the best in physical rehabilitation. This means the creation of specialized physiotherapy centers offering hands-on, one-on-one manual therapy, and using only the very latest in clinically proven healthcare practices and modalities. The Fawzia Sultan Rehabilitation Institute of Kuwait is no exception. This state-of-the-art facility offers the best in physical rehabilitation service, research, and education in a region where this combination has never been done before. At the same time, we are committed to being a community-focused healthcare resource: every individual who walks through our door receives the same respect and attention that we ourselves would expect to be given, anywhere in the world.

If I've learned anything as a clinical physiotherapist it's that injury and pain are two of the most frightening and humbling conditions we face in our lives. When we are hurt, worse even than the pain itself is not knowing what it is or why it is happening. It is the privilege and responsibility of healthcare professionals in any field to provide the people they see with as many answers as possible -- alleviating the pain, but also relieving some of the anxiety that goes hand-in-hand with the pain itself. Physiotherapists, using comprehensive assessments, can accurately diagnose an injury, explain its causes, and formulate a rehabilitation program that encompasses client education, physical rehabilitation, and implementation of preventative maintenance strategies and exercises.

I would like to take this opportunity to personally welcome you to our facility, whether it be for injury diagnosis and rehabilitation, or for continuing your professional development through our postgraduate medical education and specialization programs. Our team will do everything in its power to provide you with answers to all of your rehabilitation concerns.

Tyler Dyck, B.Sc.PT, RCAMT, FCAMT, CGIMS, MCPA