As part of its efforts to promote and support breastfeeding, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has recorded a new achievement with four of its hospitals receiving the accreditation certificate as “Baby Friendly Hospitals” after meeting the accreditation standards of the WHO and UNICEF. The accredited hospitals are: The Maternity and Children’s Hospital in Al-Jouf (a member of Al-Jouf Health Cluster), Dharma General Hospital (Third Health Cluster in Riyadh), Hawtat Bani Tamim Hospital (First Health Cluster in Riyadh), in addition to the Urwa Healthcare Center in Madinah.
The Ministry of Health confirmed that these hospitals have adopted the “Baby Friendly Hospital” initiative to enhance the awareness and culture of mothers about the importance of breastfeeding. The awareness-raising efforts included scientific lectures, workshops, brochures, and educational videos, to motivate all workers in the health sector and society in general to reduce the use of breast-milk substitutes.
The criteria for baby-friendly certification include compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, routinely following an infant feeding policy for workers and families, in addition to implementing continuous data monitoring and management systems, as part of the clinical practice. The focus is on discussing the importance of breastfeeding with pregnant women and their families, and facilitating contact between mother and newborn, and supporting mothers at the beginning and throughout the breastfeeding.
The “Baby Friendly Hospital” initiative, which was launched by the World Health Organization and UNICEF in 1991, embodies global efforts to protect and promote breastfeeding and seeks to create a supportive environment for mothers in healthcare institutions and train workers to help and promote breastfeeding.