Hyperbaric Medical Center - Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
The Sharm-el-Sheikh Hyperbaric Medical Center specialises in diving related injuries such as Decompression Illness and Barotraumata. The Center also provides a general service to the local population.
From 2006-2010, our recompression chamber was one of the busiest in the world and has treated in excess of 1,800 diving injuries since opening in 1993. This rise in activity could be linked to the growing popularity of Sharm el-Sheikh for diving holidays.
The center receives students and diving medical physicians from all over the world. It also participates in much needed research.
A new state-of-the-art German made recompression chamber arrived at the center in February 2011, which has enhanced our ability to treat injured divers and other non-diving related conditions. The center also offers diving eligibility medical examinations and care for those with E.N.T diving related complications; a service offered for those both travelling and living in the region. Additionally the center is actively involved in the care of the local population by conducting G.P. surgeries every day.
Staff
Dr. Adel Taher
Dr. Adel Mohamed Taher is considered one of the top world experts in hyperbaric medicine, receiving his Medicine and Surgery MB, BC h, from Cairo University in 1982. He is Medical Director of the Hyperbaric Medical Center at Sharm el Sheikh since 1993 and at Dahab since 2006. A PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor since 1982, he became Medical Director of DAN Egypt in 1994. Ever since, he's been playing a vital role in promoting diver safety in the Red Sea area and beyond, by managing diving emergencies, participating in medical research projects and conferences, and acting as an advisor for governmental as well as non-governmental agencies. Dr. Taher is an active community healthcare provider for the region, including the nearby Bedouin populations.
In March 1993, Dr. Taher opened the first recompression chamber in Sharm el-Sheikh at the Hyperbaric Medical Center providing a foundation of safety for the expanding dive tourism industry in the area. It has never refused a patient.
In October 2019, Dr. Taher was inducted as the first Egyptian into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame. In 2021, he was given the Cross of the Order of Merit by Germany for lifelong achievements in medicine.
Dr. Ahmed Sakr
Dr. Ahmed Sakr is a diving medical specialist working in the Hyperbaric Medical Center in Sharm El Sheikh since 1996. He graduated from Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University in 1995 and received a degree in Diving Accident Management from NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) in 2001.
At the chamber, he treats and manages diving accidents covering the South Sinai area. Additionally, Dr. Sakr participates in community medical care for the local Bedouin population. Dr. Sakr also has contributed to many research publications in coordination with DAN Europe and is an United Kingdom Diving Medical referee, providing consultation and medical support for to healthcare providers internationally.
Besides medical care, he instructs first aid courses and provides medical consultations for the several foreign embassies in Cairo. Dr. Sakr covers many diving events annually including world record dives in skin diving and technical diving in the Red Sea area.