–five more hospitals receive baby-friendly status

By Navendra Seoraj

A TEN-POINT action plan geared towards transforming hospitals and maternity facilities into “baby-friendly spaces” has been crafted by various stakeholders, through the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI).This was announced yesterday at the Cara Lodge by Lead Consultant for the BFHI assessment, Paula Trotter during the presentation of the findings of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Assessment, which was conducted during the period July 28 to August 13 2016.

After an evaluation of hospitals around the country, as part of the assessment, Trotter noted that they were able to craft ten steps and identify other means by which they can go about improving hospitals and maternity facilities in order to make them baby-friendly and improve breastfeeding.

BABY-FRIENDLY POLICY
These steps as outlined include the crafting of a baby-friendly policy; training of all staff; improving antenatal care; helping mothers to breastfeed within half hour of birth; encouraging the use of breast-milk unless medically advised; ensuring babies get breast-milk on demand; reducing the use of artificial pacifiers; allowing mother and child together for an entire day subsequent to birth; and supporting mothers through the stages of breastfeeding.

She added that the goals of the BFHI are mainly to transform hospitals and maternity facilities through implementation of the steps and to end the practice of distribution of free and low-cost supplies of breast-milk substitutes to maternity wards and hospitals.

PRIORITY
“As a priority action, hospital administrations should give consideration to making fulfillment of the BFHI criteria a part of the overall system of quality certification of hospitals to enforce the monitoring of the BFHI implementation on a routine basis,” stressed the Lead Consultant as she presented the report.

Five of the hospitals which met the BFHI criteria, following the assessment were added to the list of baby-friendly hospitals yesterday. These were the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Skeldon Hospital, Oscar Joseph Hospital, Suddie Public Hospital and the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital.

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Health, Dr George Norton disclosed that the BFHI is a global effort launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to implement practices that protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

He underscored that in 1992 when the breastfeeding project was launched it was obvious that the culture of exclusive and prolonged breastfeeding was on the decline.

“It was no co-incidence that Guyana also had relatively high infant mortality and morbidity rates due to diarrhoeal diseases, acute respiratory tract infection and malnutrition…thus the overall objective of the breastfeeding project from its inception was therefore to improve the health of infants through the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding,” Minister Norton noted.

The programme has now been revised and updated to reinforce the international code of marketing of breast milk substitutes; support mothers who are not breastfeeding; provide modules on HIV and infant feeding and mother-friendly care and to give more guidance for monitoring and assessment.

He said “the expansion of the BFHI programme is vital and without hesitation and I am proud that as a result of the expansion we now have seven hospitals in Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 10, which are now part of the Baby-Friendly Initiative Programme.”

Minister Norton also committed towards having other medical institutions involved in the delivery and care of infants, and to further become certified under the baby-friendly hospital initiative.

“It is now the responsibility of the National and Regional Breastfeeding Committee and the Maternal Child Health Unit to ensure that midwives and nurses maintain supportive health care practices crucial to breastfeeding promotion and adhere to international standards mandated by the programme,” the Public Health Minister added.