{"id":7096,"date":"2025-07-18T06:35:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T06:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.priora.eu\/news\/patient-from-saudi-arabia-travels-across-the-globe-for-surgery-in-cepin-thanks-to-prof-ninkovic-i-can-walk-normally-again\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T12:52:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T12:52:23","slug":"patient-from-saudi-arabia-travels-across-the-globe-for-surgery-in-cepin-thanks-to-prof-ninkovic-i-can-walk-normally-again","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.priora.eu\/en\/news\/en\/saudi-arabia-patient-surgery-priora\/","title":{"rendered":"Patient from Saudi Arabia travels across the globe for surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cI crossed half the world to find Dr. Ninkovi\u0107. Finally, I can stand on my feet again.\u201d<\/strong><\/em>Al Khamsan Ali Hussain M., a 29-year-old medical technician from Saudi Arabia, initially approached Professor Ninkovi\u0107 at his former workplace in Munich. Then he boarded a bus and arrived in \u010cepin.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A patient from Saudi Arabia arrives in \u010cepin for surgery<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

He traveled thousands of kilometers by plane and bus, facing many obstacles but refusing to give up. In the end, this young man from Saudi Arabia found <\/span>Prof. Dr. Sc. Milomir Ninkovi\u0107<\/a><\/span><\/strong> at <\/span>IMC Priora<\/a> in \u010cepin<\/span><\/strong> near Osijek. The plastic surgeon successfully resolved the health issue<\/strong> that had troubled him for years.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al Khamsan had <\/span>almost no feeling in his foot<\/span><\/strong>, <\/span>could not bend his right leg<\/span><\/strong>\u2014the result of a <\/span>routine vascular surgery<\/span><\/strong> in a hospital in Saudi Arabia, during which a <\/span>medical error damaged a nerve in his leg<\/span><\/strong>. What began as a minor problem had escalated significantly.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor two and a half years, I searched for a solution in Saudi Arabia but couldn\u2019t find it. I took medications, but nothing changed. My leg hurt, I couldn\u2019t bend it, and I had difficulty walking,\u201d<\/span><\/strong> begins Al Khamsan Ali Hussain M., a medically trained technician employed at a government hospital in Saudi Arabia.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reconstructive surgery: successful nerve transplantation with no complications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During discussions with acquaintances back home, he learned about <\/span>Prof. Milomir Ninkovi\u0107<\/span><\/strong>, a plastic surgeon who could restore function to his leg. He even consulted a friend from the UAE, who gave the same recommendation. He didn\u2019t know then that <\/span>Dr. Ninkovi\u0107 had left Munich<\/span><\/strong>, where he had spent two decades heading the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, Hand, and Burn Surgery at Bogenhausen Hospital. Since late 2023, he has been working at <\/span>IMC Priora in \u010cepin<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cProfessor Ninkovi\u0107 is known in Arab countries as one of the world\u2019s best doctors, and that\u2019s how I found him,\u201d<\/span><\/strong> Al Khamsan says.<\/span>

He traveled to Germany in the spring, only to be told that the doctor had \u201caged a bit\u201d and had moved to a new hospital in \u010cepin. They offered him a replacement, but he didn\u2019t like the approach. He then tried another Munich hospital but was not impressed. A friend then told him he knew Professor Ninkovi\u0107 and would try to find out where he was. So he <\/span>took a bus to \u010cepin<\/span><\/strong>\u2014he says with a smile, describing his journey to healing.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll this time I was alone,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Meeting at Priora: the patient from Saudi Arabia finds his surgeon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Professor Ninkovi\u0107 recalls that afternoon when they received a call that a Saudi Arabian patient was at the Priora entrance, looking for him. Since Al Khamsan had <\/span>limited English<\/span><\/strong>, they didn\u2019t understand immediately what he needed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe examined him right away and scheduled the surgery. He returned to Saudi Arabia<\/strong> and later came back for the procedure, accompanied by his father and uncle. Arab patients often receive strong family support\u2014it means a great deal to them. We operated on him and discharged him three days later<\/strong>. The surgery went perfectly and took foura and a half hours,\u201d explains Prof. Ninkovi\u0107.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A primary nerve transplantation was performed to reconstruct the main nerve in the lower leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the very beginning, I was amazed by Dr. Ninkovi\u0107\u2019s approach to my problem. Thank God the surgery was successful\u2014I no longer feel any pain and hope for a full recovery,\u201d says a satisfied Al Khamsan.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had never heard of Slavonia or \u010cepin<\/strong> before, and his only association with Croatia<\/strong> was:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLuka Modri\u0107!\u201d \u2014 he exclaims first. He also remembered that Game of Thrones, which he loves, was filmed in Dubrovnik.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI traveled halfway around the world to find Professor Ninkovi\u0107\u2014and it was worth it. I didn\u2019t know that besides having a top doctor here, the landscapes were so beautiful and the people so kind. I will return to Slavonia and Croatia<\/strong>. I\u2019d love to get married in this region\u2014but even if I marry in my own country, I\u2019ll come back to \u010cepin and Hotel Matter<\/a>a for my honeymoon,\u201d promises the young Saudi man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJoking aside, the success rate for such operations in Saudi Arabia is only 2%. Thanks to Dr. Ninkovi\u0107<\/strong>, the pain is gone, and I can walk again. Regarding the hospital itself, I\u2019m delighted with the care, attention, cleanliness, food, and everything else during my stay,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Patient experience: rain, hope, and recovery in Slavonia<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The night before the surgery, \u010cepin<\/strong> was soaked by rain, and since he comes from a desert region, he stepped out into the hospital garden and spread his arms to welcome the rain.
“Rain is very rare in my country, and at that moment, it truly filled me with optimism,” concludes Al Khamsan Ali Hussain M.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

IMC Priora: Top-tier medicine and personalized care attract international patients<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, this is a routine operation, but for him, it needed to be done in the best possible way. If Arab patients<\/strong> trust someone, they don\u2019t mind the journey to get here. We\u2019ve had patients from as far as Dubai to Munich for small facial scar corrections. Our first Priora patient<\/strong> from Arab countries was a child from Baghdad<\/strong>. They are truly willing to travel great distances to come to \u010cepin for surgery<\/strong>.\u201d

\u201cWhy this loyalty? I believe it stems from their culture. If one family member has a positive experience<\/strong>, they are more likely to pass it on, and they tend to trust people more than they trust media or social networks. They are delighted, and three elements play a significant role: professionalism, kindness, and charm<\/strong>\u2014qualities we Slavs are truly known for here in our region,\u201d concludes Dr. Ninkovi\u0107.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI crossed half the world to find Dr. Ninkovi\u0107. Finally, I can stand on my feet again.\u201dAl Khamsan Ali Hussain M., a 29-year-old medical technician from Saudi Arabia, initially approached Professor Ninkovi\u0107 at his former workplace in Munich. Then he boarded a bus and arrived in \u010cepin. A patient from Saudi Arabia arrives in \u010cepin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7084,"template":"","news-category":[20],"class_list":["post-7096","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-category-for-patients"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.priora.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/7096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.priora.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.priora.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.priora.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.priora.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.priora.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-category?post=7096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}