Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, started the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Symposium at the Qatar National Convention Centre yesterday.
The MCH Symposium 2020 aims to highlight the latest developments and innovations in maternal and child health, patient care and research.
It is showcasing presentations and panel sessions from more than 32 local and international experts in maternal and child health.
Close to 400 delegates attended the first day of the symposium.
The three-day symposium has been structured on the three biological transitions that a woman’s body goes through during pregnancy: pre-conception; pregnancy and foetal; and postnatal. Sessions cover topics related to understanding the role of lifestyle and women’s health in fertility; the role of infectious and chronic diseases in reproductive health as well as the latest updates on the novel tools and protocols used in IVF and in management of pregnancy complications.
Dr Souhaila al-Khodor, co-chair of the MCH Symposium and director of Maternal and Child Health Programme, Research Branch, Sidra Medicine said, “Our research theme is built around the philosophy that health in the early years of childhood is the foundation of health throughout the life course. By bringing together both local and global experts, it is enlightening to see that we share a common goal – and that is, in order to build a healthier society, we must focus on improving maternal and child health.”
Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, the director of Public Health from Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health was one of the opening ceremony speakers who talked about the Qatar National Health Strategy’s priority populations - healthy women leading to healthy pregnancies.
Day one of the MCH Symposium 2020 addressed issues such as the pre-conception period or reproductive health, advanced therapeutics, and precision medicine.
It also tackled recent updates on improving reproductive health; the role of lifestyle and women’s health in fertility; and how pregnancy can be a window to life.
Kent L Thornburg, professor of medicine from Oregon Health and Science University, the keynote speaker on the first day, talked about ‘Healthy Women, Healthy Society’, “The nutrition a woman receives during her pregnancy will affect her baby for life. Population health, depends on good nutrition and low stress in women – before and during pregnancy and during lactation - and if we cannot address these key areas, we will never be able to reverse chronic disease levels to the rates that we want to do.”
