Qatar Petroleum’s Dukhan Medical Centre (DMC) recently opened its Lactation Clinic in the presence of many new mothers and with a delegation from Sidra Medical and Research Center also in attendance.
The Lactation Clinic was officially inaugurated by Dr Khalid Ibrahim al-Badr, assistant manager (Primary Health Services) at QP. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by a welcome address from Dr Mohamed Thahir Ismail, Lead Medical Officer (Dukhan).
Abdulla Jassim Mohamed al-Mihri al-Muhanadi, administrator (Dukhan), also welcomed all the attendees, who were mostly young mothers with their babies.
Dr Shaheena Manzur, medical officer at DMC, gave a presentation focusing on the medical centre’s journey to establish the Lactation Clinic. She pointed out that DMC was the first primary healthcare facility in Qatar to develop and manage such a programme for mothers, especially first-time mothers.
The Lactation Clinic has been received positively by the Dukhan community, highlighting the importance of incorporating such a programme as part of the services offered in the field of primary healthcare.
Among the main objectives of DMC’s Lactation Clinic are to promote breastfeeding among new mothers and to highlight its range of benefits, which include fewer incidences of respiratory infections, gastrointestinal ailments and other common diseases in breastfed babies. Fewer illnesses among children will result in less absenteeism and compassionate leave for QP’s female employees.
Besides contributing in ensuring healthy families among QP staff, the Lactation Clinic also aims to provide a supportive environment for new mothers, thus encouraging them to share experiences with each other and to prolong the duration of breastfeeding.
Dr Khalid Ibrahim al-Badr inaugurates the Lactation Clinic.
