The opening ceremony of the 3rd International Conference on Advances in Obstetrics and Gynecology (3rd ICAOG) organized by the Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics at Sultan Qaboos University was held at Crown Plaza, Convention and Exhibition Center, Madinat Al Irfan, Muscat on Thursday, 21 February 2019 under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Rawya Bint Saud Al Busaidi, Minister of Higher Education. The conference is being held from 20 to 22 February under the theme "Towards Excellence in Women's Health", which aims to provide a platform for discussion on how to deal with critical and high-risk pregnancies due to complications of pregnancy or maternity conditions and to highlight the latest advances in medical fields.
The conference topics included the latest developments in various subspecialties. The presentations by renowned international and national speakers highlight the best practices and evidence based medicine. The pre-conference workshops are aimed at sharpening the participant’s skills and offer a platform for sharing their experiences
Six international speakers from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Italy and Kuwait will share their knowledge and experience in gynecology and obstetrics during the event. This is in addition to 19 national experts in OBGYN, genetics, hematology, neonatology, radiology, psychiatry, pathology, infectious disease and oncology.
H.E Dr. Rawya Al Busaidi, Minister of Higher Education, stated that the research and innovation in the field of medical science and technologies are evolving along with contemporary scientific and technological revolutions, which prompts the higher educational institutions to review and implement the latest medical developments in various specialized fields. She mentioned that the conference is testimony of the scientific commitment of SQU and SQUH, which reflects the high priority given to medical research in order to ensure high quality care and health services provided in government and private health institutions in the Sultanate.
In her speech, Dr. Nihal Al Riyami, Chairperson of the Organizing Committee of the conference said that as many as 300 participants from Oman and abroad are attending the event. The conference started on Wednesday, 20 February, with three specialty specific workshops namely: Advanced Perineal Repair, Hysteroscopy, and Obstetric Emergencies. It also included two general workshops on stress management and healthcare leadership that that are open to the public.
“The objective of the conference in general is to promote women’s health services in the country by sharing knowledge and expertise in obstetrics & gynecology and various sub-specialties and to assure that the national standards are comparable to the international standards in diagnosing and managing various conditions”, Dr. Nihal said.
The conference has six main themes addressing the updates on: Maternal Fetal Medicine, Reproductive Medicine & Infertility, Gyne-oncology, Uro-Gynecology, General OBGYN, and Minimal Invasive Gynecology. In addition to the scientific sessions, there will be an exhibition featuring 28 scientific posters on different updates and research related to obstetrics and gynecology.
At the opening ceremony of the conference, Dr. Muna Al Sadoon, Dean of the College of Medicine & Health Sciences at SQU gave a presentation on “Obstetrics and Gynecology: Women and Health in Oman”. Dr. Al Sadoon highlighted the development of health services in Oman, women in Oman, women’s health in Oman and the achievements of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in SQU over the years.
She noted that Omani women perform a vital role, forming the backbone of an emerging workforce, and at the same time, maintain their social role as mothers and homemakers. “In order for a woman to perform the different tasks entrusted with, she must enjoy good health, appropriate education and skills. Oman placed enormous importance on women’s education and health sectors. Among other health services provided to women, the obstetrics and gynecology health services contributed tremendously to improve the healthcare standards, general well-being and status of the women and babies. Such activities could only be achieved by hard work and dedication of the Ministry of Health and other relevant Obstetrics and Gynecology departments in the main government hospitals”, the Dean noted.