Under the patronage of H.E Mr. Humaid Al-Qutami, the Minister of Health, UAE the first regional conference on human lactation will be held on Wednesday, November 14th and Thursday, November 15th, 2007 at Al Owaise Auditorium, Al Baraha Hospital, Dubai. The two days conference will underline the importance of breastfeeding and aims to reestablish a breastfeeding culture in the region. The conference is being organized by The National Breastfeeding program, Ministry of Health (MOH) and is supported by Pampers. As part of its overall commitment to child development in the region, Pampers, the world’s leading childcare brand, continues their social cause in the AP region, which is also part of their equity of caring for baby’s development.
‘‘Breast milk is the optimal form of nutrition for infants and should be used exclusively for six months and continued up to 2 years of age with complimentary feeding,’’ said, Dr. Mariam Matar, Assistant Undersecretary Public Health and Primary Healthcare sector. ‘‘Several concerns defer mothers from breastfeeding when in fact there are important proven health benefits for mom and baby. The Regional Conference on Human Lactation sets out to highlight these common myths and raise awareness amongst health care professionals about optimal infant
Eighty-seven percent of mothers breastfeed at birth, 70% of them are still breastfeeding by the time the infant reaches 3 months, only 50% are breastfeeding at 6 months, despite the fact that doctors strongly encourage exclusive breastfeeding for up to 6 months with complimentary feed afterwards.
‘‘Pampers is a proud partner of this one of a kind education initiative which is set to raise the education on breast feeding as a best practice for mums around the Emirates,’’ said Ahmed Rizk, Brand PR Manager P&G Arabian Peninsula. ‘‘At Pampers we are always focused on delivering the best wellbeing of mothers and babies. Our brand equity stands for “caring for babies development”, which is the key backbone of all of our initiatives and plans. This is why we have decided to embark on this initiative in order to raise the education on lactation in the region which will in-turn have an impact in babies development. We strive to support mothers in the development of their baby, from pregnancy through to preschool age.”
Most of the Pampers AP social initiatives are designed and deployed in partnership with leading government or non government organizations. For example in the area of heath education, P&G have numerous programs in cooperation with the Ministries of Health in the region. These programs utilize the company’s expertise in reaching the mass public through multi media and effective communication to deliver key health messages needed for improving the health status in the region.
The two day conference will welcome speakers from around the world and will commence with an inaugural session on November 14th, 2007 at 9:00 AM.
About Pampers
Pampers is proudly manufactured in Saudi Arabia by Modern Products Company (MPC). The Pampers manufacturing plant, located in Jeddah, was built in 1982 with an investment of SR 480 million and is one of the most advanced diaper plants in the world. Pampers also takes
pride in being a partner with the Saudi Ministry of Health in numerous health education campaigns such as "Loved you the day I had you" which educates pregnant mothers on the healthy practices during pregnancy and after their baby is born, and the "Read aloud" campaign which encourages parents to read to their children from early age to enhance their mental development and concentration ability.
For more information, families in Saudi Arabia can call Pampers’ toll free number – 800 244 0039.
