PH Embassy in Qatar Inaugurates Lactation Room in Honor of Women Clientele

From left: Foreign Affairs  Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Alan L. Timbayan and Dr.  Abdul-Basit Ahmed Al Shaibei give their remarks to the audience who attended the inauguration of the Lactation Room. (Doha PE photo)

DOHA 23 March 2022 – In celebration of the International Women’s Day and the National Women’s Month in the Philippines, the Philippine Embassy in Qatar inaugurated a fully-furnished Lactation Room, a joint project of the Philippine Embassy and the Al Ahli Hospital, the biggest private hospital in Qatar, at the Embassy’s premises on 22 March 2022.

The event was graced by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., Madame Ma. Lourdes B. Locsin, and Dr.  Abdul-Basit Ahmed Al Shaibei, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Al Ahli Hospital, and CEO of the Qatar International Islamic Bank.

The Lactation Room project was conceived by the Embassy in 2021 and aims to cater to the special needs of nursing mothers, who come to the Embassy to transact with their infants in tow, by providing them with a dedicated area to breastfeed their babies with comfort and privacy.

Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Alan L. Timbayan said that the establishment of the Lactation Room will greatly benefit the Filipino community in Qatar, especially that the Embassy registers an average of 1,500 Report of Births (ROBs) every year or 5 to 6 ROB registrations every day.  Ambassador Timbayan added that the establishment of the Lactation Room is one way of also promoting “gender sensitivity” in the workplace and among its women clientele by taking into account their needs.

Dr. Al Shaibei, on the other hand, said that the Al Ahli Hospital’s support for the establishment of the Lactation Room is a token of appreciation for the significant contributions of Filipino medical frontliners in Qatar, especially at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Filipino community.

Secretary Locsin thanked the Al Ahli Hospital through Dr. Al Shaibei for its generosity in donating furniture and fixtures of the Lactation Room.  Secretary Locsin also honored women because of their roles in and contributions to society.

Also joining the ceremony were other visiting officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Embassy officials and personnel, members of the Filipino community, and local media. END

From left: Madame Ma. Lourdes B. Locsin , DFA Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. Ambassador Alan L. Timbayan and Dr.  Abdul-Basit Ahmed Al Shaibei (in clockwise order) during the ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially unveil and launch the Lactation Room. (Doha PE photo)

Left photo:  Ambassador Alan L. Timbayan, Dr.  Abdul-Basit Ahmed Al Shaibei, Madame Ma. Lourdes B. Locsin and DFA Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. (in clockwise order) discuss possible cooperation while inside the Lactation Room for the ocular inspection. Right photo: A wide shot of the Lactation Room located on the Ground Floor of the Embassy. (Doha PE photo)

For more information, visit https://www.dohape.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHinQatar/ or https://www.instagram.com/phinqatar/.