News & Updates

Health Ministry unveils Postpartum initiative for new mothers

The Ministry of Health and Prevention has launched a Postpartum initiative this week to encourage young mothers to go on follow up visits to their health centres after delivering a baby.

The initiative will help entrench the culture of medical visits and follow-ups among women after childbirth, to check on the health of the mother and child and to conduct necessary tests. The visits will help the young mother be aware of the psychological changes that may occur in her life, in addition to raising awareness of the importance of breastfeeding for her and her child. As part of the initiative, awareness campaigns will be launched and educational brochures will be distributed, in addition to the promotion of videos and messages on social media.

The health ministry has launched this in line with government accelerators to empower women and encourage entrepreneurship among them and is likely to strengthen cooperation between the General Women’s Union (GWU) and Ministry of Health and Prevention, Department of Health-Abu Dhabi, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and the UAE Gender Balance Council.

The initiative will be implemented under direct follow up by Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU), President of the Supreme, Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), Mother of the Nation, to speed up the execution of the government accelerators concerned with the empowerment and entrepreneurship of women.

Dr Hussain Al Rand, Under-Secretary Assistant of Health Centres and Clinics Sector at the ministry, reaffirmed that the Postpartum Acceleration initiative was aimed at raising women’s awareness on the importance of visiting the hospital post-delivery to enhance their health. Many hospitals such as Al Tawam, Al Rahba, Latifa Women and Children Hospital and Hatta Hospital in Dubai, in addition to Fujairah Hospital and Dibba Hospital in Fujairah, will be open for post-partum follow-ups.

Dr Al Rand said, “The initiative is expected to yield positive results and ensure better health for mothers and children. The positive outcomes include an increasing proportion of women breastfeeding and enhance their awareness on its importance, improving the percentage of women undergoing early screening for cervical cancer, detecting and early treating post-partum depression, which in turn will reduce maternal and infant mortality.”

Last June, Shaikha Fatima announced the launch of the fifth batch of government accelerators concerned with the empowerment and entrepreneurship of women in the UAE with the participation of 30 government and private entities.

The participating entities will work on a number of challenges in 100 days, focusing on the quality of life of women in all stages of life, providing counselling services especially during the first years of marriage, the introduction of the gender balance of the financial and banking sector, raising the employment rate for those with an emphasis on women, and providing specialised health care services for women after childbirth.