Dr. Abdulsalam Saif Ibrahim
Doha: World Sepsis Day is an initiative by the Global Sepsis Alliance that was established in 2012 to provide global leadership to reduce the worldwide burden of sepsis.
Qatar’s National Sepsis Program is actively engaged in providing education and awareness programmes for healthcare professionals and the general public to guide the national sepsis prevention efforts.
The Qatar National Sepsis Symposium is hosted by the National Sepsis Program, led by Dr. Abdulsalam Saif Ibrahim, who is also the Deputy Chair of the Critical Care Network and Head of Medicine Critical Care at HMC.
This year’s educational event will be held in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Sidra Medicine and endorsed by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). The event organisers are inviting poster abstract submissions from healthcare professionals across Qatar as part of the effort to engage more clinicians in this programme.
“I am pleased to introduce the 9th Qatar National Sepsis Symposium, which will be held in Doha, from September 13 to 14. The theme for this two-day symposium is ‘Advancing The Care of Sepsis’ which represents our plan to delve deeper into the latest best practices in sepsis prevention and care,” said Dr. Saif Ibrahim.
“World Sepsis Day is held annually on September 13 and represents a global opportunity for people to unite in the fight against sepsis, which accounts for at least one in five deaths worldwide annually.”
“We are delighted to partner with HMC in continuing our national mission of constantly improving sepsis care and outcomes within the healthcare sector in Qatar. This is a critical topic and our main aim is to actively engage scientific and clinical expertise to enhance healthcare professionals’ knowledge of early detection and immediate treatment of sepsis based on global best practices.” Said Dr. Mohammad Janahi, Division Chief of Infectious Diseases and Chair of the sepsis programme at Sidra Medicine.
“We encourage active participation from clinicians across the healthcare sector and therefore announce an open call for poster abstract submissions for the symposium. This is an opportunity for individuals and teams to share their knowledge and expertise while also helping to spread awareness about this serious condition. Approved posters will be displayed in the poster exhibition area in the HMC Medical Education Centre during the symposium, as well as online on the symposium website,” added Dr. Ibrahim.
Sepsis is a serious illness caused by an infection like pneumonia or diarrhoeal illness. It arises when an infection alters the body’s normal response, causing injury to tissue and organs. Once contracted, septic shock can quickly lead to the failure of several organs, such as lungs, kidneys, and liver, and this can be fatal in some cases.
However, there is still a serious lack of knowledge among people in many countries, which makes sepsis the number one preventable cause of death worldwide.
“As to adults, sepsis can happen to children at any age but certain conditions such as being younger than 12 months old or having a chronic condition may put the child at higher risk. We are fighting this life-threatening condition by continuously educating the healthcare professionals and parents about the symptoms. By knowing the signs of sepsis, parents can get their children medical attention early, which can help in getting the needed treatment fast and reduce the chance of having possible life-long side effect and prevent death,” Said Dr. Rasha Ashour, Senior Attending Physician at Sidra Medicine, National Paediatric Sepsis Lead.
