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The bionic hand, which looks and acts like a real human hand with five individually powered fingers, is being displayed in the region for the first time at the Arab Health exhibition.

The world's first commercially available bionic hand will be on show at Arab Health - the Middle East's largest gathering of medical professionals -- which opened in Dubai today (Monday, 28 January 2008).

The bionic hand, which looks and acts like a real human hand with five individually powered fingers, is being displayed in the region for the first time at the Arab Health exhibition, which is expected to attract 50,000 visitors from all over the world, setting a new record.

Touch Bionics, the UK-based developer of the i-LIMB hand, is one of more than 2,300 exhibitors taking part in Arab Health -- which runs until 31 January 2008 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre -- and showcases the latest medical breakthroughs and technological developments from over 65 countries.

The i-LIMB hand is one of the hottest devices in the prosthetics market and Touch Bionics will be seeking clinical partners and distributors in the Middle East for the highly acclaimed hand, which is expected to have been fitted to more than 100 patients worldwide by the end of February.

"Healthcare services in the Middle East are now some of the most advanced in the world and we look forward to bringing the considerable benefits of the i-LIMB hand to patients in the region," said Stuart Mead, Touch Bionics CEO, a company spun out of the UK National Health Service.

"We are very keen to meet with companies and clinics at Arab Health who are interested in becoming our distributors in the region," added Gaurav Mishra, Director International Business Development. The company will also be displaying a working prototype of a fully articulated bionic arm.

Organised by IIR Middle East, Arab Health is by far the biggest event of its kind in the region and is at the centre of one of the fastest growing and most lucrative healthcare markets in the world. The event is supported by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Health, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi and the Dubai Health Authority. Leading sponsor of Arab Health is Dubai Healthcare City and main corporate sponsor is UAE development company Emaar's healthcare division.

The world's most comprehensive conference programme also features in the Arab Health Congress. The Congress encompasses 18 internationally accredited conferences in specialised areas of medicine, surgery and healthcare management with over 400 internationally respected speakers and more than 6,000 delegates, making it the world's largest event of its kind.

"The Middle East healthcare market has annual growth of 15% and is one of the most exciting growth areas in the world," said Simon Page, Group Director of Life Sciences at IIR Middle East. He added: "The challenges and opportunities this presents for governments and private healthcare players will be much in evidence at the Arab Health which brings together healthcare providers, manufacturers, dealers and distributors with the key decision-makers."