Najla Al-Madfai

Jordanian physician who established the first neonatal intensive care unit in the Middle East

Najla Al-Madfai (1935-2009) broke barriers as Jordan's first female pediatric surgeon and founder of modern neonatal care in the Arab world. In 1968, she created the first neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Jordan University Hospital using repurposed incubators from surplus military equipment. Her innovative protocols reduced infant mortality by 40% in Amman within five years.

Al-Madfai pioneered community-based antenatal programs that trained midwives in rural areas, reaching over 150,000 mothers by 1980. Her 1975 book Neonatal Survival Strategies became a regional standard, and her work inspired the World Health Organization's 1990s neonatal care guidelines. Despite societal resistance to women in medicine, she trained 80% of Jordan's female doctors by the 1990s. The Najla Al-Madfai Children's Hospital, established posthumously in 2010, continues her mission.