United Arab Emirates, Dubai, April 1, 2010: His Excellency Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority( DHA) opened the  3rd International Conference on Neonatal this morning which was held at the Grand Regency Hotel.

The two-day conference is held under the under the patronage of his H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister  of Finance and President of the DHA and is organized by the DHA in collaboration with the Emirates Medical Association.

Over the next two days , 14 international speakers and six national speakers will hold lectures on evidence-based developments in neonatology, which is a specialized field dealing with the care of preterm babies and babies who require special care because they suffer from problems such as respiration, nutrition etc.

Prior to the conference, three neonatology workshops were held in the field of ventilation, nutrition and infection control.

Present during the opening ceremony of the conference were Dr Mohammad Olama, CEO of Hospital Services Sector, Dr Abdullah Al Khayat, CEO of Al Wasl Hospital, Dr Ali Al Numairy, President of the Emirates Medical Society, Dr Hassain Kamil Bahaddin, Ex-Minister of Health Education in Egypt and President of the Egyptian Paediatric Association.

His Excellency Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority said during his opening speech at the conference, "The DHA has always emphasized on the importance of mother and child care, especially ensuring that we  provide the best medical services for newborn babies and with this vision in mind Al Wasl hospital was built more than two decades ago. Al Wasl hospital is one of the main hospitals in the UAE which specializes in neonatal care. It is our aim to ensure that we provide the our children with the most advanced medical services and thus as per the orders of our ruler, we are building the Al Jalila Children's specialty hospital which will be a super-specialty multidisciplinary hospital that  will provide the children of the UAE and this region the very best medical treatment." 

"Neonatolgy remains an important aspect of childcare and thus conferences such as this one are important for they provide evidence-based updates in neonatology."

Dr. Khaled El Atawi, Specialist senior registrar Neonatology, Al Wasl Hospital and Vice President of Neonatal society - Emirates Medical Association said, "The aim of this conference is to  provide relevant, succinct and factual information in a format conducive to the daily practices of neonatologists because neonatology is a rapidly developing field and it is pertinent for neonatologists to be abreast with the latest advances in the field."

El Atawi, highlighted that the conference is a platform where eminent neonatologists come together and discuss important issues. He mentioned that Prof. George Simbruner, the chairman of IPOKRaTES organization, is one of the eminent speakers who is present at the conference and also conducted a workshop for neonatologists.

The topics that the conference will cover over the next two days include, neonatal CNS mainly those related to asphyxia and intraventricular haemorrhage, neonatal nutrition and surgical emergencies, neonatal respiratory disorders and evidence based management in respiratory care as well as updates related to frequent neonatal problems.

The conference has been accredited 19 CME hours from Faculty of Medicine and Health Science - Al Ain University, while each workshop is accredited 4.5 CME hours.

The neonatologists who organized the conference include Dr Ayman Rehami, Dr Mohammed Sadik, Dr Hakim Yasim, Dr Mohmoud El Halik Dr Junaid Khan, Dr Faisal Azziddin and Dr Khaled El Atawi.

-Ends-

The DHA:
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has been empowered to set policy and strategy for health, and to assure the application of that health policy and strategy. The DHA leads an integrated approach across the spectrum of health, anticipating our future needs and being responsive to users. It will stimulate growth and innovation in the health market, ensuring value for money and quality of services through effective regulation.

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) structure will ensure that health services are better positioned to meet the demand for better healthcare services in the future. The DHA will work to:

  • Provide a Health Strategy for Dubai that will meet the needs of the predicted growth and change in population.

  • Ensure Public Health is protected and quality of life improved.

  • Ensure partnership between public and private health service providers, bringing together the best international experience to ensure we deliver the best health system possible.

  • Achieve international accreditation of healthcare services delivered across the Emirate by ensuring world-class quality and standards of healthcare.

  • Ensure effective regulation and licensing across the Dubai Health Sector guaranteeing the quality of health services provided.

  • Increase the transparency and accountability of the healthcare system.

  • Drive efficiency so that funding is spent on the most effective healthcare for those who need it.

  • Improve accessibility to the healthcare system and sustainability for the future.

  • Deliver the best training and education opportunities for Dubai healthcare practitioners.

For more information, please contact 
Kamakshi Gupta
Communications Analyst
Institutional Marketing and Communications Department
Dubai Health Authority
klgupta@dha.gov.ae
009714- 2197455

© Press Release 2010