Arab Paediatric Medical Congress

Children’s health is one of the most important areas in the healthcare industry, and it receives an important focus from government to enhance quality care for children in the region. Government’s concerted dedication is manifested through establishing leading health facilities, attracting the most qualified healthcare workers and promoting awareness about recent advances in paediatrics and neonatology.

As it is important to enhance knowledge sharing, the region’s top paediatricians and the regional health authorities will be gathering at the Arab Paediatric Medical Congress, taking place at Amwaj Rotana Hotel in Dubai on 29-31 May 2014.

The programme features outstanding contributions from key experts such as Prof. Tawfik A. Khoja, Director General, Executive Board, Health Ministers’ Council for the Cooperation Council States, Dr. Muna Al Kuwairi, Director of Primary Health Care Department, Ministry of Health UAE, Dr. Farida Al Hossani, Manager, Communicable Diseases Department, Health Authority Abu Dhabi, Dr. Yasser Nakhlawi, Chairman of Paediatric Institute, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Dr. Julian Eason, Chief of Neonatology, Corniche Hospital, along with other key regional and international speakers.

The Arab Paediatric Medical Congress will be a unique and extremely rewarding opportunity for gaining knowledge in evidencebased paediatric and neonatology topics, and overcoming key challenges related to diagnosis and management of paediatric and neonatology disorders. Different areas will be covered such as Nutrition, Gastroenterology, Transplantation, Cardiology, Infectious diseases, Vaccination, Adolescent Medicine and many more.

The event will feature the Arab Paediatric Medical Research Award to foster excellence in paediatric research. ”We encourage researchers to submit their abstracts describing new research findings and advances in this field to be qualified for the awards, as paediatric research plays a lead role towards the progress of childcare in the region”, said Dr. Doaa Said, Congress Director and Managing Director at Maarefah, the organiser of the paediatric congress.

The two days of the congress feature a variety of interactive workshops, which cover the most pressing concerns in children’s health such as evidencebased use of antibiotics and nutrition strategies for high-risk neonates.

“According to the World Health Organization, infectious diseases kill over 17 million people a year. Therefore, antibiotics are essential to save lives and to improve the quality o f l ife. O n t he o ther h and, antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the world. Inappropriate use of antibiotics increases the cost of healthcare, induces side effects and contributes to the emergence and spread of bacterial resistance. Therefore, we have included a practical workshop in the programme to enlighten the paediatricians on the rational use of antibiotics to overcome microbial resistance”, added Dr. Doaa.

”Urgent action is required to control and prevent the emergence of bacterial resistance, as this is a pressing healthcare concern in the UAE”, noted Dr. Nawal Al Kaabi, Head Infectious Diseases, Paediatric Residency Programme Director at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.

Dr. Nawal Al Kaabi will be leading the workshop to help paediatricians understand the appropriate selection of antibiotics and promote the rational use of antibiotics. Other expert-led workshops will cover neonatal ventilation, nutrition and clinical scenarios in paediatric heart diseases, epilepsy and more.

For more information about the Arab Paediatric Medical Congress, please email [email protected]