Cayhill- The St. Maarten Medical Center, Obstetrics and Gynaecology ward in collaboration with Abbot, will host the second Annual Nurses Symposium on November 14, 2013 at the Port de Plaissance convention hall. The topic of the symposium is “Our baby has Down Syndrome, now what?”
Abbot is a group of companies that sponsor neonatal and infant milk to the ObGyn and Paediatric ward of the SMMC.
The objective of the symposium is to bring to light the challenges that SMMC has when caring for a neonate who has Down Syndrome. Other objectives of the symposium is to educate ObGyn and Pediatric nurses and other allied healthcare providers on how to deal with nursing dilemmas, educating parents of their responsibilities for their newborn. The symposium will highlight the need for a support group for parents who have newborns and children with Down Syndrome.
Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder named after John Langdon Down, the doctor who first identified the disorder. Down syndrome affects ones physical appearance, as well as the ability to learn and develop mentally. It is a lifelong condition, presented at birth.
The public, nurses, general practitioners and other health care providers, insurance companies and government health care sectors are invited to the symposium which begins at 7pm.
According to the physicians, there are many persons who are still not informed about Down syndrome and often are unaware of approaches to get the best care needed for their babies; what St. Maarten has to offer and where to go for support.
“It is important for us that you (the public) are informed,” says Sheryl Carty, Supervisor ObGyn ward. “It is a step to bringing awareness to the general public about how to give assistance to parents caring for their children with Down Syndrome.”