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Sidra Medical and Research Centre and Pan-Arab Association of Paediatric Surgeons have been chosen to co-host the Sixth World Congress of the World Federation of Associations of Paediatric Surgeons (WOFAPS)
in 2019.
The congress, being hosted in the Middle East and North African (Mena) for the first time, under the theme - “Arabian Pearls of Pediatric Surgery” - will take place in late 2019
in Doha.
Doha was chosen in the competitive bid over Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul and
Sydney.
“The selection of Doha as the host city for WOFAPS 2019 shows the organisation’s focus on improving the surgical care of children in emerging and developing countries. The region, and Qatar specifically, have invested heavily in building world-class medical institutions and developing innovative infrastructure, making a visit to Doha an exceptional experience from colleagues from across the world,” said WOFAPS president Dr
Richard Azizkhan.
Co-chairs of the regional organising committee, Sidra’s surgery clinical chief Dr David Sigalet and HMC’s paediatric surgery head Dr Mansour Ali, were in Berlin for WOFAPS conference when the win was announced.
Dr Sigalet, who also serves as president-elect of WOFAPS and will take over as president in 2017, said: “Qatar sits at the intersection of a growing, youthful population and a curious people dedicated to learning and improving lives, which makes Doha, Sidra and our regional partners’ ideal hosts for a WOFAPS conference.”
He mentioned that more than 1,000 paediatric surgeons from all over the world will contribute to learning opportunities for the attendees by taking part in training sessions and panel discussions, expanding the regional knowledge bank through access to international expertise, as well as the latest techniques and
technologies.
Sidra and its partners are committed to support education for the physicians and will sponsor 100 surgeons from low- and middle-income countries to attend WOFAPS 2019, who would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend to take part in the event.
Sidra staff and the medical and research centre will also play a major role in making WOFAPS 2019 a key educational event for the region by holding a number of instructional courses in conjunction with the congress through the use of its simulation centre and access to the latest available surgical technology.
