DOHA: Discussing the scope of the initiatives in the region to include screening for developmental disorders beyond the neonatal period, the third Middle East and North Africa (MENA) symposium on Newborn Screening (NBS) is set to open here from Monday. The three-day event, co-hosted by top healthcare facilities in the country, will bring-in 200 international scientists, physicians, policy makers, dieticians, pediatricians and experts in the field to look into Prevention, Screening and Treatment of Developmental Disorders in the MENA region.
The latest innovations and developments in NBS, metabolic disorders diagnosis and treatment techniques in the MENA region will be the key issue. Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Sidra Medical and Research Center (Sidra), Shafallah Center and Weil Cornell Medical College – Qatar (WCMC-Q) will organise the symposium that will benefit from the participation of internationally renowned medical centers from the USA such as the National Institute of Health (NIH), Communicable Disease Control Center (CDC), in addition to other prominent medical centers in Europe and the Middle East.
“The importance of this symposium comes from its value in creating a scientific atmosphere that induces exchange of knowledge and expertise between all these experts,” said Dr Ibrahim Al Janahi, Paediatrics consultant and Head of Paediatrics Chest Unit, HMC “The major objective is to create communication networks between pediatricians and NBS experts which facilitates development of NBS programmes for the MENA region”. The aim of this conference is to strengthen the infrastructure needed for expanded newborn screening as well as screening for developmental disorders beyond the newborn period and to strengthen opportunities for research collaborations and soliciting opinions and creating discussions.