Al Ain Hospital launches 2nd Regional Conference on Human Lactation

Al Al Ain Hospital, managed by VAMED and Medical University of Vienna, is owned and operated by Seha, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company.

The 2-day conference which is themed "Breastfeeding: decreasing infant morbidity and mortality" will highlight the importance of breastfeeding and aims to strengthen the breastfeeding culture in the region. Al Ain Hospital and Seha have collaborated with the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), International Baby Food Action Network Geneva (IBFAN), World Health Organisation (WHO) and Geneva Infant Feeding Association (GIFA) to bring about this event.

Commenting on Al Ain Hospital's involvement, George Jepson, CEO of Al Ain Hospital, said:

"We are pleased to organize this truly significant event as it exemplifies our overall commitment to the health of children." Jepson added, "The conference is another opportunity for the city of Al Ain to reaffirm the critical role that family plays in our community."

The world leaders in infant feeding will gather in Al Ain during UAE National Breastfeeding Week (8-14 November 2009) under the umbrella of "Global Breastfeeding Initiative for Child Survival (gBICS)". The gBICS is a worldwide civil society-driven initiative aiming to accelerate progress in attaining the reduction of child mortality by scaling up early, exclusive and continued breastfeeding. Hailing from all parts of the world, the members of the gBICS will join the 2nd Regional Conference on Human Lactation.

Dr. Gerhard Schwab, Medical Director of Al Ain Hospital, commented, "The 2nd Regional Conference on Human Lactation will bring together some of the most important figures in infant nutrition. It will provide a platform to debate, demonstrate and discover solutions for the current challenges facing infant feeding practices in the region." Dr. Schwab added, "Our initiatives and programmes for the development and improvement of infants are sustained through our strong collaborations with families and communities at large."

Dr. Khalid Iqbal, IBFAN Arab World Coordinator, informed, "This conference being organized in collaboration with International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), will address various topics, updating information and practical skills that many health care professionals are lacking". He added, "Through this conference the participants will learn how to remove barriers, commercial influences and other causative factors responsible for inappropriate infant feeding practices, thus ultimately increasing the prevalence of breastfeeding in the region."

Various experts from Switzerland, UK, Malaysia, Germany, Canada, Sweden and South Africa will deliver lectures on the latest available information on different topics.

"Breast milk is the optimal form of nutrition for infants and should be used exclusively for six months and continued up to 2 years of age with complimentary feeding," said Dr. Moza Ali Saleh Al Kuwaiti, Head of Family Medicine at Al Ain Hospital and Head of the Organizing Committee for the conference. "Increasing the prevalence of breastfeeding has been proven to deter childhood illnesses like diarrhea, respiratory infections and a lot of other health problems which will be covered at the 2nd Regional Conference on Human Lactation," she added.

The basic aim is to continue the development of the breastfeeding culture in the region that was prevalent few decades ago. The conference is set to shed light on this critical issue that affects the core of our families and societies. With its inaugural meeting of world leaders on infant nutrition slated for November 10th, 2009, the conference is expected to attract health care professionals and guests from around the world.