AHS Hosts Antenatal Workshop for GPs

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 7 December, 2013 – Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS) and Corniche Hospital, subsidiaries of the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), today hosted an antenatal workshop with the aim of providing evidence-based education on perinatal care to its network of family physicians/general practitioners.

The workshop highlighted current and best practice standards on issues of high concern and prevalence such as management of gestational diabetes, antenatal care pathways, and fetal care.

Dr. Omar Al Jaberi, Chief Medical Officer, AHS, said: “Studies have indicated that antenatal care provided by family physicians and general practitioners is as effective as the care provided at specialized maternity hospitals. It has also been proven that women who consult their family physicians for prenatal care are generally more satisfied because of the continuity of care they receive well before conception.

“Our initiative to host the workshop comes out of such findings and as part of our priority to encourage low-risk pregnant women to seek community based maternity care that we provide at AHS healthcare centers. AHS is happy to collaborate with Corniche Hospital, the leading referral hospital for obstetric and neonatal care in the Middle East, to conduct such a workshop.”

Speaking about the workshop, Dr. Paul Martin Bosio, Corniche Hospital's Acting Chief Medical Officer said: “We are very happy to work on this wonderful initiative as we strengthen the link to provide continuity of care in pregnancy between Corniche Hospital and AHS.”

Women in the reproductive age in the UAE are found to have high incidences of glucose intolerance, diabetes, obesity and vitamin D deficiency - all of which are associated with decreased fertility and high risk pregnancies and deliveries. Care and treatment of the pregnant mother and the unborn baby are among the key concerns at AHS.

Committed to making the lives of people in the emirate healthier, AHS uniquely combines local research findings and latest scientific evidence in the delivery of its services. As the primary care provider in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, AHS healthcare centers are recognized as the best platform for prevention and early intervention to avoid risk factors and minimize their impact.

Corniche Hospital is owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, and is managed by Johns Hopkins Medicine International in Baltimore, USA.