Paediatric Care in Conflict: MSF’s 7th Paediatric Days Conference Opens in Amman
The seventh edition of the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Paediatric Days conference, held in Amman, Jordan, brings together leading local and international experts and practitioners in paediatrics and humanitarian healthcare.
This year’s conference focuses on two key themes: children’s health in conflict settings and newborn care areas that represent growing challenges in many crisis-affected regions, particularly across the Middle East. It gathers dozens of specialists from MSF projects around the world, alongside experts from local and international institutions, to discuss field experiences and recent studies related to paediatric and neonatal care in low-resource and high-risk environments.
Her Royal Highness Princess Sarah Zeid underscored the inextricable link between women’s and their children’s health, and how the two are endangered by the erosion of women’s rights, conflict, drastic reductions in humanitarian assistance and our disrupted climate. She stressed the importance of approaching maternal and newborn health as a unified continuum of care to reduce mortality and ensure comprehensive support.
Dr. Suhaib Al Ajlan, Head of the Middle East Unit at MSF in Amman, described the conference as “a scientific and humanitarian platform to explore improved approaches to paediatric care, especially in contexts impacted by conflict and disasters,” noting that “more than half of MSF’s patients globally are children.”
The MSF Paediatric Days is a two-day international event designed to strengthen the exchange of
knowledge, expertise, and best practices in paediatric care between MSF teams, academic institutions,
and partner medical organisations. It aims to engage healthcare professionals—both specialised and non-specialised—who are committed to developing innovative treatment approaches for the most vulnerable children. The event is built on close collaboration between frontline practitioners, technical advisors, and academic leaders, resulting in a conference that is both operationally relevant and scientifically grounded.
First launched in 2016 at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, the Paediatric Days have since been hosted in Nairobi and Dakar, arriving this year in Amman as the latest stop in this global series. Through this event, MSF seeks to enhance knowledge exchange among medical teams, researchers, and policymakers, and to support the development of practical strategies that improve the quality of healthcare provided to children in the world’s most vulnerable settings.
