مستشفى المقاصد مستشفى جمعية المقاصد الخيرية الإسلامية
Department of Pediatrics
The Department of Pediatrics at Makassed Hospital functions as a medical center for a multitude of services in connection with the diagnosis and treatment of children’s chronic and acute diseases.
The department was established in 1970 as a small hospital wing with very few beds. Its main function was to treat children suffering from infectious and chronic diseases, such as anemia, meningitis, chronic pulmonary infections and gastrointestinal diseases and infections.
Over the years, the department evolved at a steady and continuous pace in order to meet the growing needs of Palestinian society. Today, the Department of Pediatrics is considered a multi-disciplinary center for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic diseases in children.
This expansion of the department included the enlargement of the pediatric ward which currently consists of approximately 32 beds and provides comprehensive diagnostic care and treatment for infants and children (most of whom are referrals from Palestinian hospitals), the opening of the neonatal unit, the development of the pediatric intensive care unit in recent years, the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit, and the outpatient clinics.
Specialist physicians at the Department of Pediatrics cover the following subspecialties:
- Neonatology
- Pediatric cardiology
- Pediatric endocrinology
- Pediatric neurology
- Pediatric metabolic disorders, and clinical and laboratory services
- Pediatric genetic disorders, and clinical and laboratory services
Two new subspecialties will be added in the near future: Pediatric internal medicine and pediatric pulmonary medicine.
Teaching and training activities of the Department of Pediatrics:
Makassed’s Department of Pediatrics runs a four year teaching and training program for resident doctors specialising in the field. This program is fully accredited and recognized by the Palestinian, Jordanian and Arab medical boards and councils. The hospital launched the program in 1988, graduating annually two to three doctors who pass their exams with ease. Moreover, the department works in close collaboration with Al Quds University’s School of Medicine, whereas specialist physicians are also lecturers at the university.
The Department of Pediatrics’ different units:
- The Neonatal Unit
The neonatal unit at Makassed Hospital was created in1986 and has been equipped since with the latest devices and remains up to date with the latest scientific methods in the care of children. The creation of this unit had a great impact on Palestinian society, having provided the main center and the primary reference for critical neonatal cases in need of special attention, from all over Palestine. Makassed’s unit of Neonatology is considered one of the most important units in Palestine since its inception. It is regarded as the primary and main referral center for all the Palestinian areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the major teaching center, where tens of pediatricians and nurses have trained on the national level, and it is a unit recognized and well known for its distinctive service and for the competence of its employees, both doctors and nurses.
The neonatal unit possesses approximately 30 incubators and accommodates between 25-30 children per month, including 12-15 in need of intensive care equipment for monitoring breathing, follow-up and intravenous feeding, and these include the cases of premature births, extremely low birth weight, breathing difficulties, congenital heart disease, genetic diseases and malfunction metabolic processes.
- The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
- The Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
The pediatric cardiac intensive care unit consists of 10 beds and is distinguished by being the only one of its kind in Palestine. The department provides comprehensive care for children who suffer from various medical problems and / or surgeries that require intensive care.
- The Outpatient Clinics
- The Functional and Neural Therapy Unit
- The Laboratory of Cellular Genetics
- The Laboratory of Molecular Genetics
- The Salwa Dajani Laboratory of Metabolism
Names of the specialized doctors working at the Department of Pediatrics:
Dr. Bassam Abu Libdeh: Head of the Department of Pediatrics.
Dr. Hatem Khammash: Head of the neonatal unit.
Dr. Mahmoud Al Nashashibi: Head of the pediatric cardiac unit.
Dr. Samir Khalil: Head of the pediatric neurology unit.
Dr. Imad Dweikat: Head of the Salwa Dajani laboratory of metabolism.
Dr. Sidqi Hamadeh: Pediatric neonatal specialist
Dr. Abdel Salam Abu Libdeh: Pediatric pituitary gland specialist.
Dr. Suhail Ayish: Head of the molecular genetics lab.
Dr. Shahir Shweiki: General pediatric specialist.
Dr. Sara Abu Rmaileh: General pediatric specialist.
Dr. Alaa Al Sayyid: General pediatric specialist.
Dr. Abdel Latif Khatib: Pediatric neonatal specialist.
Contact:
Direct number to Dr. Bassam Abu Libdeh’s secretary: 02-6270356
Office: 02-6270294
Laboratory: 02-6270137
Makassed Hospital’s main fax number: 02-6288392
The laboratory’s fax number: 02-6270140
Dr. Bassam Abu Libdeh’s emails: [email protected] [email protected]
