On Behalf of the Saudi Obstetric & Gynaecological Society, It gives me a great pleasure to host the Gulf Congress for the 3^rd time in our historic city of Jeddah.  The high academic standards shown in the last two congresses gives us hope for an excellent gathering of scientists working in the field of women's health.  Planned to be held in March last year this Congress is an unfortunate victim of the events of the region that took place then.  Several attempts to conduct this event subsequently ended  in failure due to continuous restrictions for travel of academicians into this area.

At last with the will of The Almighty and the help of the newly elected Secretary General of the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists(FIGO) Prof. Arulkumaran we could revive this event with enough vigour to attract all Obstetric practitioners in this area and around.  It is significant that the Arabian Federation of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (FAGO) has joined hands with us to make this event a success.

The interest shown by our colleagues in the region to attend this Congress has generated great responsibility for us to make this event a memorable one for everyone academically and socially.  Knowing the beauty and the character of Jeddah and seeing the academic standards shown by the papers submitted, I am sure we are going to achieve this goal with ease.  I am pleased to welcome you all to the pleasant weather that is still with us and hopefully would last throughout the period of the Congress.

Hassan Saleh Jamal
President of the Congress
President of the SOGS
President of the FAGO

 

The regional Obstetricians and Gynaecologists thirst for knowledge enhancement is insatiable.  The 3^rd Gulf Congress is to witness a gathering of such scientists with their knowledge and experience to be shared in the care of the women who seek help from them. The Saudi Obstetric & Gynaecological Society has played a "maternal" role in nursing this event for the third time.  We are pleased to note that with the assistance and the magic of the internet we are bringing together a large numbers in such a short time despite the setbacks of the unfavourable war climate and instability in the region.  The untiring efforts of the core members of the society and wide participation of all Obstetricians in the gulf region and the Arabian community from the world over is making this event a success.

  Notable thanks goes to the gallant contributions from the invited International speakers who have weathered the antipathy to attend the academic event in the region and come forward to enhance the quality of the event immensely by their contributions. 

 Working with a team of professional Web developers and Congress managers amongst us has made it relatively easy for us to put this event together.  As usual the high standards shown by the papers submitted has clearly indicate the quality of healthcare the women get. 

 The Saudi Obstetric and Gynaecological Society  is hosting its 13^th Annual General Meeting and the scientific sessions have swollen to accommodate the  participation of professionals of the OBGYN community from the region.  It will be a valuable exchange of knowledge and experiences in a pleasant academic environment.  I am looking forward to extensive participation  of all the delegates not only in the academic event but also in the social events that follow.  The Gulf regional Obstetricians and Gynaecologists are doing it again!  This time with the cooperation from the colleagues from the Arab world and supported by well known International academicians from the field of women's health.

I take this opportunity to wish all the colleagues a successful week of academic dialogues.

Dr. Hisham Arab
Secretary General of Congress
Secretary General of SOGS

After lapse of two years, and a delay due to unavoidable circumstances this mega event is eventually TAKING PLACE!  Due to the short period of "decision to delivery" time, the assistance from the technology of the net has been timely.  Using the dedicated websites we have had a massive response from colleagues from near and far within our region.

It is interesting that papers have been submitted from Arab countries as well as the Gulf countries.  The Secretary General of the FIGO, Prof.  Sabaratnam Arulkumaran has played a key role in reviving this major event of the region.  Three pre congress courses are being run on the first day of the event followed by the opening ceremony in the evening.  They will contribute greatly to the improvement of care for the women in the region. In the eighteen plenary lectures to follow a wide range of topics of importance will be delivered by International stalwarts in the field of reproductive and women's healthcare.

The Secretary General of the FIGO will address the issue of the global approach to women's health in the scientific session that follows immediately after the opening ceremony and Prof. Jason Gardosi of the West Midland Perinatal Institute (www.perinate.org) who is very well known for his famous online CTG tutor will talk about global perinatal health. 

The wide range of papers submitted covers the whole of Obstetric, Gynaecological, Perinatal practice. The conference is sealed with interesting discourse on integrated maternal health information system and the web based medical records system for Obstetric care and a stimulating discussion on knowledge revolution. 

The post congress course rightly follows through with guidelines to improve computer and internet literacy amongst the OBGYN practitioners and take them through the newer aspects of E-Learning and Knowledge Management.