About Us

Every year 1-in-10 babies are born premature in Qatar and in other countries around the world. We are carrying out a research study because we want to plan and improve our care for these important children. The study will teach us about the difficulties faced by premature babies and follow their health and development over the first 2 years.


It is necessary to recruit and study a new cohort of babies in Qatar to enhance the understanding of current long-term outcomes in the context of contemporary care. Many studies have been conducted in other countries worldwide, however this is the first of it’s kind in Qatar.

Through this study we aim to evaluate the outcome for pregnancies delivering before 37 completed weeks of gestation in Qatar within the context of their medical, psychological, social and emotional development. The study will set the foundations for a longitudinal study of the effects of prematurity in the lifespan, which will be evaluated in comparison to studies of similar populations or sub-populations recruited in other countries, particularly the UK.


This study will provide important information to support healthcare planning for this resource intensive group and ultimately educational planning. Scientifically it will provide data on a unique population set within a broad ecological study of health influences. This will advance our understanding of the factors, which mediate outcomes in preterm births and give us unique insights into how we can help these children as they journey through life.