Prince Misha'l Bin Majed, Governor of Jeddah, will inaugurate the fifth Gulf International Congress for Women's Health here Monday under the theme “Innovative Approaches in Women's Health care”. More than 500 specialists and doctors in the field of women's healthcare will participate in the six-day event which is organized by the Saudi Obstetrics and Gynecological Society in cooperation with a number of international organizations. “The interest in the congress shown by our colleagues in the Arab world underlines our responsibility to make this a memorable event for everyone and to provide opportunities for researchers and clinicians to share their experience, knowledge and techniques,” said Dr. Hisham Arab, General Secretary of the Saudi Obstetrics and Gynecological Society. According to Arab, during the congress several important women's healthcare issues will be discussed in conjunction with the presentation of 70 research papers on a variety of topics. Professor Hassan Jamal, who is organizing the congress, stressed the importance of discussing women's healthcare problems. “Our most important goal is to establish a sufficient number of medical centers and clinics in rural cities and villages throughout the Kingdom,” he told Saudi Gazette. “Most deaths in the Kingdom occur because of the lack of medical centers in remote areas, an insufficient supply of blood, and the low level of medical knowledge regarding maternity issues,” he said. Prof. Jamal added that the rate of maternity related deaths has decreased in the Kingdom in recent years. “We have an average of 23 deaths per 100,000 annually,” he said. “The most common diseases and health issues affecting women in the Gulf region are those related to breast cancer, obstetrics, diabetes and obesity, all of which are medical problems affecting many Arab women,” he added. The women's health congress will include a competition for the best medical research in the field of Saudi and Gulf women's healthcare. The prize will be presented by Prof. Jamal. There will also be another prize for the best presentation by a young gynecologist during the congress. Princess Sita Bint Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz will patronize the final women's session in which she will discuss plastic surgery, obesity, and other issues of interest to women in the Gulf region.
