Dr. Mohamed Sultan (left), medical director, Pfizer Nutrition, flanked by Dr. Saad Abdullah Al Saedi (third left), consultant neonatologist and director of neonatology section at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center – Jeddah, and two other Club 26 doctors at the launch.
JEDDAH: Spearheading a campaign to elevate the quality of children’s care and nutrition in Saudi Arabia, a group of elite pediatricians in the Kingdom has launched “Club 26” whose primary objective is to keep fellow pediatricians abreast and well-informed about the latest scientific findings and approaches in their sublime profession.
The Club is founded and sponsored by Pfizer Inc, a leading international pharmaceutical firm.
Consistent with the pharmaceutical firm’s responsibility as the world’s leading biopharmaceutical company, it collaborates with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world.
Dr. Saad Abdullah Al Saedi, consultant neonatologist and director of neonatology section at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center – Jeddah, told the Saudi Gazette on the sidelines of the first lecture/forum on children’s nutrition presided by Club 26 that, initially, the Club will focus on providing seminars and lectures to practicing pediatricians across the Kingdom to further raise the level of awareness implementation.
He added that pediatricians who attend the lectures will accumulate credit hours that can be used in renewing their license in the Kingdom as the government mandates that pediatricians are required to have earned 30 credit hours before they can renew their professional license.
Normally, participation in one lecture that is accredited by the government is equivalent to one credit hour, he pointed out.
Dr. Mohamed Sultan, medical director, Pfizer Nutrition, said at the launch of the Club 26 Thursday at Radisson SAS Jeddah, that the Club was conceived to further increase the awareness in nutrition, considering the rising number of children suffering from obesity, diabetes, malnutrition, deficiency anemia and feeding problems.
“It is well established that one of the best opportunities to advance human well-being is the provision of adequate nutrition during the critical window of development from birth to 2 years of age in order to promote optimal growth, optimal protection and health development, with breastfeeding as the preferred method of providing this nutrition,” Sultan stated.
He added that Club members would meet on a quarterly basis to assess and evaluate the developments and plan for the next appropriate course of action.
The club also will provide lectures to pediatricians all over the Kingdom on a monthly basis to share with them the latest advancements in the field of children’s nutrition. As Pfizer applies science and global resources to improve health and well-being at every stage of life, it strives to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacturing of medicines.
In this regard, Pfizer unveiled another important innovation – the “Biofactors system, which is A comprehensive series of nutritious formulas with specific combinations of biofactors – nutrients and other ingredients that deliver functional benefits to the child.
“Individual nutrients carry their own set of benefits, however a good combination of nutrients can produce additional benefits for a child’s growth and development and this is what the biofactors system is all about,” said Dr. Mohammed Abdel Khalek, regional medical affairs and R&D director, Pfizer Nutrition AfME.
Moreover, the biofactors system provides a range of specialty ingredients, helping the bodily system in some of the key areas of the child’s health, such as brain development, a healthy digestive system, improved immunity and a healthy bone development.
Saudi Gazette