Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of the Dubai Health Authority, His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Al Hashemi, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, opened the eighth annual International Pediatric Summit, attended by leading figures in the healthcare sector, at the Westin Hotel in Al Habtoor City.

During his opening speech, Dr. Al Hashemi said: ‘The mission of advancement and development that the UAE has followed has had a great impact on medical research and our efforts to continually keep updated with scientific development in all its fields, on a national level. It has also led to an openness of our society to humanities and cultures across the world. It stemmed from the faith of our wise leaders, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (God protect him), and his brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and their brothers, Their Highnesses, members of the Federal Supreme Council.’

He added: ‘Healthcare services are not limited to, but rather depend on, scientific advancement, research, evidence-based practice, and the experience of researchers and medical practitioners.’

He concluded his speech by thanking His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance, and President of the Dubai Health Authority for unyielding support of these medical events and the medical field in general. He also expressed his gratitude to the conference’s organizing committee for their effort towards holding this conference in Dubai.

Dr. Islam Al Baroody the president of the conference then added: ‘We have been able to, under the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of the Dubai Health Authority, and with the support of the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, and the supervision of the Arab Pediatric Congress Achieve of a distinguished scientific program that we hope will satisfy you.

He also stressed his hope that the conference would increase awareness and clinical knowledge, which will therefore lead to accurate and comprehensive informed diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. 

The opening ceremony was followed by a specialized workshop in which Dr. Nawal Al Kaaba, Executive Clinical Director of Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi discussed developments in child vaccination.

Dr. Jamal Al Jubeh, consultant pediatric endocrinologist and Chairman of the Pediatric Institute at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, then discussed diagnosis and stages of intervention in cases of growth problems in children. Doctor Ahmad Al-Baleedi, Professor of Pediatric Medicine at the University of Cairo, discussed interventions for nutritional disorders in children. 

Dr. Aman Suhal at Mediclinic Hospital discussed the role of neuroimaging in diagnosing epilepsy in children, followed by a lecture by Dr. Alan Lucas from the University of London on key differences between breastfeeding and using formula. Professor Peter Clayton, Honorary Consultant in Pediatrics and Pediatric Endocrinology at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital discussed thyroid conditions in children.

Professor Hania Shiviska, Head of Children's Department, University of Warsaw, deliverd a lecture about the latest ways to treat diarrhea and intestinal infections in children in 2018 and how to prevent them.

In a lecture on allergic reactions to vaccines in children, Dr. Peter Arkwright, Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Pediatric Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Diseases at The University of Manchester, explained the symptoms and dangers of delayed weaning.

The lectures were followed by various other clinical workshops – Dr. Sareea Al Remaithi, Pediatric Endocrinologist at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City discussed accurate diagnosis in cases of diabetes in children and medicinal and nutritional interventions.

Additionally, Dr. Islam Al Baroody, President of the IPS, led a workshop in which he distinguished myths from scientific facts about intestinal conditions, and also discussed treatment recommendations. One of the major workshops discussed pharmaceutical knowledge of the types and side effects of antibiotics and vaccines.

Dr. Dima Abou Saleh, Chief of Clinical Nutrition at King Faisal University, led a workshop on the importance of proper weaning techniques, and was followed by Dr. Wafaa Al Ayesh, Chief of Clinical Nutrition at Dubai Health Authority, who discussed the importance of nutrition on immune system development in children.