With medical development, nothing is no longer ambiguous in andrology and infertility disease.
Studies ascertain that the childhood stage is the pillar and foundation in which both awareness and affect are constituted. Every visual scene, situation and behavior, even every moment I lived as it is the case with every child has laid a strong brick and brace in constituting my life and building my personality. If I add that such early childhood was in Makka al Mukarramah and the districts of this noble city, there is no doubt that the matter is largely different. When my mother accompanied me to the Holy Makka mosque, remembering his sympathy while I step and rush among the praying people, and my eyes are filled with the scene of the Holy Ka’aba , my soul during those years were filled with tranquility & peace. With lapse of years, burdens and demands of learning and acquiring various skills increased. I learned reading and writing in the Holy Makkah mosque. I completed my basic, elementary, intermediate, and secondary stages in Jeddah. Thanks to my Father after the grace of Almighty Allah in joining the college of medicine as the used to call me with the phrase ” Dr. Talal ” while I was a child. The dreams grew with me and have become a reality. Pertaining to selecting my speciality in Urosurgery, there is a nice story. When I was a demonstrator and during my internship I was working with a Swedish doctor called Peterson” and an American consultant called “Christian Sown” in “King Fahd Medical Hospital” in Al Baha region and their professional performance had greatly motivated me and made me love this specialty. Therefore, I finished my Ph.D degree in Dusseldorf University in 1993.
When I returned to King Faisal Specialist Hospital. There was no Saudi specialized doctor having a certificate or licensed in the treatment of infertility and microscopic surgeries for men, the Hospital awarded me a scholarship to Brussels Belgium with support from His Excellency Ambassador/ Osama Bin Abdulmajid Shubkshi, where is specialized in this delicate medical filled. Afterwards, the hospital itself awarded me a scholarship to Netherlands where I was conferred the specialization certificate in the diagnosis and treatment of impotence and andrology diseases from Nijmegen University. Thus, I was the Saudi physician in such delicate and rare specialties.
In this stage and with continuous travel, I was filled with eagerness and greediness for acquiring knowledge and science challenging all the difficulties of being away from my native country, seizing the rope of hope to return to my native home land for giving back something, even if it is slight of what’s have been awarded by my homeland and the society which I am proud to be one of its members.
I have been lucky to be in touch with various attitudes and gain experience in various places such, the Military Hospital in Jeddah, King Fahd Hospital in Al Baha, The University Hospital Dusseldorf, in Germany, The University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium, Nijmegen University Hospital in Netherlands and King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh.
Notwithstanding the long experiences throughout fifteen years, and thousands of surgical procedures, my feeling before I step into the OR to perform an operation is the feeling of the man who strongly believes in that above every learned person there is the All knowledgeable. Therefore, I get myself well prepared for it, consider its aspects , arrange my ideas, abandon all my concerns, I see nothing except for the work in hand to give it all what is deserves. When I am asked to perform a procedure in a country, the situation is normal and is not different as the medical level in the Kingdom has greatly developed and not less than what is prevailing in other countries. My technique in the professional performance may be different from that of another surgeon, but most importantly is that the Saudi physician in general scientifically and professionally stands on equal footing with any other physician in any place in the world. The sole difference between one physician and another even in the same country is hard work and dedication in acquiring the modern sciences related to medicine & its attributes, Allah’s guidance and partents’ satisfaction.
Regarding the immigration of the prominent physicians from the Arab World, I think we can not attribute this phenomenon to one cause, if this idiom fits, as there are many and different causes such as the insufficiency of material and research potentials in some countries, the non – existence of a climate that encourages innovation & creation, and may be for immigration it self. However, we should take into consideration that there are many prominent physicians in the Arab World have not immigrated, never thought of immigration. There are those who stick to the motherland, surmount them and achieve their dreams and aspirations inside the native land. For me, science shares rise high while those shares of material life are so low. I have been deprived from communication with relatives and friends because of my involvement in work in hospitals.
The passionate situation in my life is the death of my sister, may Allah mercy her, following a cosmetic surgery while she was in her 30s and I still suffer her absence. On the other hand, the happy situation when my son Mohammad joined the college of Medicine affiliate to King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah which is the same college from which I graduated in 1984.
With respect of the woman’s role, no body can deny her great role in our life, and in building the society side by side with man. This role has greatly developed them before in the kingdom, as she has received a great deal of education and invaded the various fields of work and excelled in many businesses. Here, I do not refer to complementary roles. She is commissioned exactly like man, and Islam has given her great prestige in our life, honored, glorified and maintained her. This is just one aspect of Islam greatness. Therefore, why don’t we confess her rights ? and why don’t we support her as being the mother, sister, wife and daughter ?
Regarding my spare time and interests, I can say that due to any indulgence in work and great concern with my patients, my spare times are almost negligible. However, I take the advantage of what is left of my time out of work to sit with my children to recognize their conditions, requirements and problems. We exchange opinions about common subjects. The largest role is played by my most valued wife who exerts her possible efforts for the rest of us and create an atmosphere of rest and tranquility in our house. She has great grace and givingness which I cannot ignore. Amidst all of this, I pay attending to the meetings of the ( Saudi Society for Andrology & Infertility Disease ) which was established by the participation of a group of physicians who are specialized in the treatment of Andrology disease in men.
Pertaining to my satisfaction with what I have achieved till now, I thank Allah for the scientific and practical level I have reached, but I see that man should stop following up scientific development and its achievements and should acquire more.
I recently authored a book entitled: “Sex Genius and the Genius of the other sex ” . Its first edition was 50,000 copies and the second edition amounted to 100.000 copies. This book represents the summing up of an experience extended for more than fifteen years through which rich experiences have been accumulated via the universities, medical institutions and specialized health centers in the USA and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I was aware that it should be rear and understandable of all the social categories in our country and characterized by maintaining the moral traditions held by our society and deeply – rooted heritage in the chastity of the marital relationship as set forth by our tolerant Sharia’a ( Islamic Law ).
In this book, I handled the problems of importance, methods of treatment and the great development of medicine in this field as well as the etiquette of sexual intercourse between couples and the various disease which have become by the grace of Allah, and the science He reveals to us, simple in treatment, in addition to infertility, its causes and methods of treatment. I do tackled other relevant subjects which have been known by modern medicine.
Regarding what concerns my mind in the time being is the project of establishing Dr. Talal Merdad Hospital which shall campaign all the delicate specialities in the field of urosurgery, nephrology, the importance problems and the andrology & infertility diseases.