Dr. Yaqub bin Yousif Al-Mazroo, the MOH Assistant Undersecretary for Therapeutic Medicine, Head of the Scientific Committee for the Arabian Child Health Conference, to be hosted in Riyadh during the period from 6 to 8/02/1428H, said the committee is receiving the contributions of the scholars participating in the conference works. "The documents are now being sorted and prepared in its final form", he said. "A database for the conference participants is being arranged and we are intending to compile a book including the research abstracts as well as the conference discussions".
He said a proposal has been finalized for the conference schedule, including a number of areas to be dealt with by the conference. The Arab ministers of health and a number of concerned specialists shall attend the conference, which will be patronized by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.
Nine major aspects have been defined for the conference works, says Al-Mazroo. The first aspect shall deal with the health status of children in the Arabic countries during the past five years (The achievements, obstacles, and anticipations). This aspect includes the health problems affecting the different stages of childhood (perinatal, postnatal, and adolescence). It also includes sex difference and social circumstances such as the customs, traditions, education, and economic status.
The second aspect shall evaluate the existent strategies, policies, and health systems. It will try to find ways for improving them, including improvements relative to health legislations, health insurance for children, management of health information systems, management of health services, the system of referring among the different levels of health care services, school health, and children / adolescents nutrition.
The third aspect shall deal with following up the achievement level regarding the millennium goals in the area of childhood health, such as reducing mortality rates among children, natural sucking, nutrition, development and growing, vaccinations, and integrated care of childhood diseases.
The fourth aspect shall discuss some health issues of high priority, such as disabilities, pre marriage check up, maternal health care during pregnancy, health care for newly born children, chronic diseases, childhood psychological and mental health, healthy nutrition of babies and mothers during pregnancy, accidents and injuries of children (including home accidents, traffic accidents, etc), AIDS, cancer, and blindness, environmental pollutants and their effects on children, including negative and positive smoking, addiction among adolescents, exposure to organic pollutants, and effects of electromagnetic waves on children (using mobile phones, exposure to video games, computer, and TV for long periods).
The fifth aspect includes health care for certain categories of children, especially those suffering from sever conditions such as natural disasters, armed conflicts, family abuse and violence, working children, street children, orphanage, trading in children, and sexual abuse.
The sixth aspect shall deal with the role of primary health care in protecting against diseases, whereas the seventh aspect shall concentrate on boosting joint contribution of the government, the private sector, the society, and care providers to childhood health.
Another aspect shall review the role of news media and health education in boosting childhood health, including religious education, healthy patterns of life, diversified treatment of psychological and other health problems of children, and consolidating healthy behaviors for protection against diseases. This aspect of the conference shall also discuss the effects of negative media, such as incorrect nutritional habits, dissemination of alternatives of maternal milk, violence, etc.