Dr Basirat Towobola is a UK CCT Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with subspecialist training and expertise in urogynaecology, vaginal surgery, and advanced labour ward practice. Prior to relocating to the United Arab Emirates in September 2023, she served as a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and Urogynaecology Lead at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT) for around five and a half years. She is a Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG), the British Society of Urogynaecology, the International Continence Society, and the International Urogynaecological Association. Passionate about educating and empowering women to make informed choices about their health, Dr Towobola is now bringing her clinical expertise and commitment to quality improvement to Tawam Hospital in Al Ain.
Key Takeaways
- Dr Towobola is a UK CCT Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with subspecialty expertise in urogynaecology and vaginal surgery. She obtained her CCT in 2018 and worked in the NHS for approximately five and a half years before relocating.
- She is a Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG) and holds memberships in the British Society of Urogynaecology, International Continence Society, and International Urogynaecological Association.
- She relocated to the UAE in September 2023 and now works as a Consultant Obstetrician and Urogynaecologist at Tawam Hospital in Al Ain.
- She introduced the autologous fascial sling procedure to Tawam Hospital, a mesh-free surgical technique for treating stress urinary incontinence with a success rate of 80 to 85%.
- She led the award-winning PETALS project at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which reduced the rate of obstetric anal sphincter injury by more than half within two years and won the best quality improvement project award in 2023.
- She was matched with Al Ain by Allocation Assist based on her lifestyle preferences, and describes the placement as one of the best things that has happened to her.
- Her twin children, aged 16, have settled well in Al Ain, attend a British curriculum school, and have made friends since relocating.
Choosing Obstetrics and Gynaecology: A Vocation Rooted in Joy
Dr Towobola’s passion for Obstetrics and Gynaecology took root during her medical school rotation in the specialty. She describes it as an immediate and deep connection, one driven by the unique privilege of being present at the moment a new life enters the world, witnessing the joy of families meeting their babies for the first time. That experience of being part of such a meaningful moment inspired her to pursue the specialty as a career.
Beyond the emotional dimension, the specialty also appealed to her practical instincts. She had always enjoyed working with her hands, a dexterity she first developed through sewing at school and later channelled into her surgical skills. At the same time, she did not want to pursue pure surgery. Obstetrics and Gynaecology offered the ideal balance of medicine and surgery, with each day bringing something different: the operating theatre, the outpatient clinic, the labour ward, an emergency. For Dr Towobola, the variety ensures it never becomes routine.
The Subspecialty of Urogynaecology: Giving Women Back Their Quality of Life
Urogynaecology focuses on the consequences that pregnancy, childbirth, and ageing can have on the female pelvic floor. The physical demands of carrying a pregnancy and giving birth can weaken the pelvic floor muscles, leading to conditions such as urinary incontinence, involuntary leakage of urine, and vaginal prolapse, where the structures of the pelvic floor begin to weaken or descend. These are conditions that affect a significant proportion of women, yet many silently accept them as an inevitable consequence of having children.
Dr Towobola is passionate about challenging that acceptance. Urinary incontinence affects one in four women as they age, whether or not they have had children, and many are unaware that effective treatments exist. Her motivation for choosing urogynaecology as her subspecialty was precisely this: to educate and empower women, to offer them choices and solutions, and to ensure they do not suffer in silence. She treats urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse through a range of surgical and non-surgical interventions, including Botox injections into the bladder for overactive bladder and bulking agent injections for stress incontinence.
Surgical Procedures at Tawam Hospital
At Tawam Hospital, Dr Towobola performs a wide range of gynaecological and obstetric procedures. These include vaginal hysterectomy, laparoscopy for ovarian cyst removal, caesarean section, and surgery for ectopic pregnancy. Within her urogynaecology subspecialty, she focuses specifically on pelvic floor repair surgery, including repair of cystocele (prolapsed bladder), rectocele (posterior vaginal wall prolapse), and uterine prolapse.
Introducing a New Procedure: The Autologous Fascial Sling
One of Dr Towobola’s most significant contributions since arriving at Tawam Hospital has been the introduction of the autologous fascial sling procedure for treating stress urinary incontinence. In this technique, a strip of fascia is taken from the patient’s own abdominal wall and used to create a sling beneath the urethra, providing support and helping to keep the urethra closed under pressure.
The procedure is notable for avoiding the use of synthetic mesh. The use of mesh to treat stress urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse has been banned in the UK since 2018 due to associated complications, and is restricted in a number of other countries. Drawing on her background and training, Dr Towobola considers the autologous fascial sling a preferable approach that significantly reduces the risk of complications. Results at Tawam Hospital have been highly encouraging, with the procedure providing a permanent solution for approximately 80 to 85% of patients.
Patient Differences Between the UAE and the UK
While the fundamentals of Obstetrics and Gynaecology are consistent worldwide, Dr Towobola has observed some notable differences in the patient population she sees in the UAE compared to her NHS practice. Gestational diabetes, women developing diabetes for the first time during pregnancy, is more prevalent in this region than in the UK.
In urogynaecology, family size plays a significant role. In the UK, it is common for women to have one or two children, whereas in the UAE it is not unusual for women to have four, five, or more. Larger family sizes increase the cumulative strain on pelvic floor muscles, meaning that complications such as prolapse and incontinence are more frequently encountered. For Dr Towobola, this underlines the importance of patient education and awareness, ensuring women understand that these conditions are treatable and that they do not have to accept them as inevitable.
Why Al Ain Was the Perfect Match
The decision to relocate to Al Ain was not simply a matter of finding a suitable hospital, it was, as Dr Towobola describes it, a perfect match between her lifestyle and her new home. Having lived in a quiet, rural part of Kent, a county she describes as the garden of England, she had always valued peace and tranquillity. When Allocation Assist assessed her preferences and matched her with Tawam Hospital in Al Ain, the fit was immediately apparent.
Al Ain is an oasis city, serene and unhurried in a way that closely mirrors the lifestyle she had in Kent. She speaks of the city with evident affection, particularly the beauty of Jebel Hafeet, which she has visited twice and describes as breathtaking, especially at night, when the entire city can be seen spread out below. When she wants the energy of a larger city, Dubai is easily accessible, a dynamic she finds almost identical to her previous experience of travelling from Kent to London and back again.
Family Life in Al Ain
Dr Towobola’s twin children, aged 16, initially found the transition unsettling, as might be expected at that age. However, they have since settled well, made friends, and are thriving at their British curriculum school in Al Ain. One practical advantage she highlights is the ability to secure a larger home in Al Ain compared to what would be available for the same price in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, a meaningful benefit for a family making a new life in the UAE.
Teaching, Mentorship and Quality Improvement
Teaching has always been a core part of Dr Towobola’s professional identity. In the UK, she served as an educational supervisor for specialty trainees, and she wasted no time in making her interest in teaching known upon arriving at Tawam Hospital. She now teaches, trains, and supervises both resident doctors on rotation and medical students from UAE University in Al Ain, and has also presented at a conference since her arrival.
Quality improvement is an equally important area of focus. In the UK, she led the PETALS project at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, a initiative focused on reducing obstetric anal sphincter injury, a serious complication that can occur during natural childbirth, causing long-term loss of bowel control if not promptly recognised and managed. Within two years, the project reduced the rate of such injuries to less than half of the pre-project level and was recognised with the best quality improvement project award in 2023. Dr Towobola is now working to develop a comparable initiative at Tawam Hospital.
How Allocation Assist Supports Doctors Relocating to the UAE
Relocating internationally as a medical professional involves navigating multiple stages, from licensing and job placement to integrating into a new healthcare system and settling your family. Allocation Assist streamlines this process by providing structured support at each phase.
Key Areas of Assistance
- Licensing and regulatory navigation, guiding physicians through credentialing requirements specific to the UAE.
- Role identification and placement, matching specialists with positions aligned to their clinical expertise and career objectives.
- Relocation and family logistics, coordinating practical elements to ensure a seamless move for the entire family.
- Ongoing support, keeping in touch with relocated doctors, following their experiences and achievements in their new roles.
For internationally trained specialists like Dr Towobola, this structured support ensures a smoother transition into the UAE healthcare system, allowing them to focus on delivering high-quality patient care.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dr Basirat Towobola’s background and qualifications?
Dr Towobola is a UK CCT Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with subspecialist training in urogynaecology, vaginal surgery, and advanced labour ward practice. She is a Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG) and obtained her CCT in 2018. She worked as a Consultant and Urogynaecology Lead at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust for around five and a half years before relocating to the UAE in September 2023.
Where does Dr Towobola work in the UAE?
She works at Tawam Hospital in Al Ain, UAE, where she practises as a Consultant Obstetrician and Urogynaecologist and is involved in teaching and supervising trainees.
What is urogynaecology and what conditions does Dr Towobola treat?
Urogynaecology focuses on pelvic floor disorders in women, including urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse. Dr Towobola treats these conditions through surgical procedures such as cystocele repair, rectocele repair, uterine prolapse correction, Botox injections for overactive bladder, and bulking agent injections for stress incontinence.
What new procedure did Dr Towobola introduce at Tawam Hospital?
She introduced the autologous fascial sling procedure for treating stress urinary incontinence. This uses a strip of fascia from the patient’s own abdominal wall to create a sling under the urethra, avoiding the use of synthetic mesh. It has been a permanent solution for approximately 80 to 85% of patients.
Why did Dr Towobola choose to relocate to Al Ain?
Having lived in a quiet, rural area of Kent in the UK, Dr Towobola was matched with Al Ain by Allocation Assist due to its serene, oasis-like environment, which closely reflected her lifestyle preferences. She loves Al Ain for its beauty, tranquillity, and the quality of life it offers her and her family.
What quality improvement work has Dr Towobola been involved in?
In the UK, she led the PETALS project at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, focused on reducing obstetric anal sphincter injury during childbirth. Within two years, the rate of such injuries fell to less than half the pre-project level, and the project won the best quality improvement project award in 2023. She is now working to develop a similar initiative at Tawam Hospital.
How does the patient mix in the UAE differ from the UK?
Gestational diabetes is more prevalent in the UAE than in the UK. Women in the UAE also tend to have more children, four, five or more, compared to the typical one or two in the UK, which means pelvic floor complications from childbirth are more common and require greater patient education and awareness.
