Chairman of Dubai Health Authority Honors Leading Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Experts
‘Conference on Innovations in Rehabilitation Practice’
Organized by Thumbay Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Hospital
Ajman, Sep.10: Thumbay Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Hospital, the biggest and most advanced hospital for physical therapy and rehabilitation in the region successfully conducted the ‘Conference on Innovations in Rehabilitation Practice’.
The programme was attended by renowned international speakers and experts who shared their insights and concepts on the latest and emerging trends in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation.
His Excellency Humaid Al Qutami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority was the chief guest of the conference held at Thumbay Medicity, Ajman on 10th September 2018. Dr. Thumbay Moideen, Founder President of Thumbay Group presided.
His Excellency Navdeep Singh Suri - Indian Ambassador to the UAE, His Excellency Mr. Liborio Stellino - Ambassador of Italy in the UAE, Her Excellency Ms. Valentina Setta - Consul General of Italy in UAE and Wasim Akram, former Pakistani cricketer attended the Conference as special dignitaries.
His Excellency Humaid Al Qutami presented special awards of honor and recognition to the following leading physical therapy and rehabilitation experts:
- Ms. Amal Al Shamlan - First UAE National physiotherapist, President of Emirates Physiotherapy Society
- Dr. Abdul Adheem Kamkar - Head of Dubai Police Health Center, Physiotherapy section
- Dr. Franco Molteni - Director Hospital Valduce Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Center, Costa Masnaga, Lecco, Italy
- Ms. Amina Al Saadi - Head of Rehabilitation Center, Zayed Higher Organization
- Dr. George John - Transform Fitness, Dubai
- Dr. Osama Kamel Ali Alalla - Specialist in Health and Physical Activities, Ministry of Education, Dubai
- Mr. U T Ifthikar Ali - Physiotherapist, India
- H.E. Marwan Bin Ghalaita - Chairman, UAE Football Association
- H.E. Ahmad Al Kamali - President, UAE Athletic Federation
- H.E. Saeed Mohammad Hareb - Secretary General, Dubai Sports Council
- Dr. Omar Abdul Aziz Al Haai - Secretary-General, UAE Higher Education Sports Federation
- H.E. Marwan Ahmed Alsawaleh - President, UAE Interschool Sports Association (UAESSA)
- Mr. Dave Richardson - Chief Executive, The International Cricket Council
- Mr. Khalid Al Zarouni - Vice Chairman, Emirates Cricket Board
- Mr. Shahzad Altaf - Ajman Cricket Council
- Mr. Strath Sherri - CEO, Dubai Tennis Academy
Accredited by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention for 4.5 CME Hours, the Conference on Innovations in Rehabilitation Practice was hosted to mark the occasion of World Physiotherapy Day.
International speakers from Italy along with experts from the region delivered various talk on latest updates in the fields of physical therapy and rehabilitation, before the participants comprising of leading surgeons, physiotherapists and other medical professionals from the region.
Dr. Franco Molteni - Director Hospital Valduce Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Center, Italy and Mr. Riccardo Aggujaro - Project Manager, Thumbay Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Hospital were the scientific coordinators of the conference. Dr. Praveen Kumar K. – Dean of the College of Health Science, Gulf Medical University, was the scientific advisor.
The keynote talk on the topic ‘From Cell to Society’ was led by Dr. Franco Molteni - Director, Hospital Valduce Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Center, Italy and Dr. P.K. Menon - COO and Director, Thumbay Labs, UAE.
Topics on which the other speakers shared comprehensive insights include:
- Human Behavior and Environment – by Dr. Silvia Aggujaro, Head of Neuropsychology Service, H.Valduce Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Center, Costa Masnaga, Lecco, Italy and Prof. Dr. Maddalena D Alfonso - Associate Professor in Building Technology, Politecnico of Milan University, Milan, Italy
- Educations in Rehabilitation at Gulf Medical University – by Prof. Hossam Hamdy - Chancellor, Gulf Medical University
- From Body Language To Well-Being – by Prof. Dr. Stefano Masiero - Professor and Chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Padua, Italy & Head of Rehabilitation Department, University Hospital of Padua, Italy
- Engineering E-Motion – by Dr. Stefano Mazzoleni - Rehabilitation Bioengineering Laboratory Volterra, Bio Robotics Institute, Italy
- Robotics Assisted Rehabilitation – by Dr. Adam Akram - Senior Physiotherapist, Zayed Higher Organization, UAE
- Role of the Industry in Rehabilitation Practice and Medicine
"His Excellency Humaid Al Qutami also inaugurated the Thumbay Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Hospital and toured its facilities."
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UK Professor Nitasha Kaul's Overseas Citizenship of India cancelled
Academician decries move as "transnational repression"
London/New Delhi: Professor Nitasha Kaul, a London-based academic, announced on May 18, 2025, via a social media post that her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card has been cancelled by the Indian government. She described the move as a "bad faith, vindictive, cruel example of transnational repression" intended to punish her for her scholarly work critical of the Modi government's policies concerning minorities and democracy.
The cancellation follows an incident in February 2024 when Professor Kaul, who holds a British passport and held an OCI card, was denied entry into India upon arrival at Bengaluru airport. She had been invited by the then Congress-led Karnataka state government to speak at a conference on "The Constitution and Unity in India."
According to an image of the letter shared by Professor Kaul, the Indian government stated that it had been "brought to the notice of the Government of India that you have been found indulging in anti-India activities, motivated by malice and complete disregard for facts or history." The letter further accused her of regularly targeting India and its institutions on matters of India's sovereignty through "numerous inimical writings, speeches and journalistic activities at various international forums and on social media platforms."
Professor Kaul, who is a Professor of Politics, International Relations, and Critical Interdisciplinary Studies and the Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) at the University of Westminster, London, vehemently rejects these accusations. She stated she had provided a 20,000-word response to what she termed the government's "ridiculous inanity about ‘anti-India’," but the OCI was cancelled through a "rigged process."
In her social media posts, Professor Kaul lamented the decision, questioning how the "mother of democracy" could deny her access to her mother in India. She characterized the action as stemming from "thin-skinned, petty insecurity with no respect for well-intentioned dissent."
The February 2024 denial of entry had already sparked controversy. At the time, immigration officials reportedly cited "orders from Delhi" without providing formal reasons, though Professor Kaul mentioned informal references to her past criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The Ministry of External Affairs had then responded by stating that the entry of foreign nationals into India is a "sovereign decision." Unofficial government sources had indicated that a "preventive lookout circular" was issued against her due to her alleged "pro-separatist" and "anti-India" stance on Kashmir.
The BJP in Karnataka had criticised the state government for inviting her, labelling her an "anti-India element." Conversely, the then-Karnataka government and various international human rights organizations and academic bodies had condemned the denial of entry.
Professor Kaul has been an outspoken commentator on Indian politics, including the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, and has testified before international bodies such as the US Congress on human rights in the region. She maintains her work is academic and pro-democracy, not anti-India.
The cancellation of her OCI card effectively bars her from entering India, a country to which she has personal and academic ties. This incident adds to a growing list of academics, journalists, and activists of Indian origin whose OCI status has been revoked or who have been denied entry to India in recent years, raising concerns about freedom of speech and dissent. Reports indicate that over 100 OCI cards were cancelled by the Indian government between 2014 and May 2023. Furthermore, in 2021, new rules were introduced requiring OCI cardholders to obtain special permission for activities such as research and journalism.
