Egyptian pediatrician and surgeon Dr. Hesham Abdelkader has taken the creative step of replacing his white doctor’s coat with a blue and red robe emblazoned with an H.
Bringing Joy to the Operating Room
Dr. Abdelkader, who works out of the Heliopolis Clinic in Cairo, Egypt, created the medical superhero ‘Super H’ to visit those of his pediatric patients preparing to undergo surgeries to help boost their moods and lessen their fears.
“In our Eastern societies in general, we have instilled in our children a frightening idea about doctors, especially performing surgeries where the father and mother are more scared than the child themself. I thought of making funny videos that melt the ice of this relationship and bring the child together with the doctor in the operating room. It helps to get rid of the horror of the moment when they leave their parents and enter the operating room,” said Dr. Abdelkader to Sky News Arabia.
Dr. Abdelkader noticed that his young patients had a paralyzing fear of doctors and he knew he had to do something to dispel their anxiety and worries.
After observing his patients’ fascination with the superhero characters he has displayed around his clinic, Dr. Abdelkader came up with “Super H” - a fictional character based on a superhero that lands his space shuttle from another planet in Cairo to help children on earth.
“I’m trying to turn the ‘Super H’ character into a beloved character among kids as we constantly strive to provide them with what they need. The character can be designed to help in other areas, such as education because building the child’s knowledge in a fun, entertaining way is very important for absorbing important information and building their confidence.
Creativity and Effort Can Achieve Anything
Besides visiting his patients in full costume, Dr. Abdelkader and his team make a variety of TikTok videos aimed at parents to help them understand complicated medical information and offer tips on how to interact with their children.
Dr. Abdelkader also uses social media to showcase content aimed at helping children live healthier lives. He’s built a TikTok base of almost 100,000 followers and continues to create lighthearted content that is sure to bring smiles.
Dr. Abdelkader believes strongly in an integrated approach to pediatric medicine that includes caring for the psychological and emotional workings of children, with reducing the fear of entering the operating room being the most important element.
This type of creativity is what's needed to make the world a better place!
