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First hospital in HCM City meets breastfeeding practice standards

The Maternal and Child Health Department under the Ministry of Health and the Alive and Thrive Programme on November 20 presented the certificate of hospital with excellent breastfeeding practice to Hung Vuong Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

This is the fifth in Vietnam and the first in HCM City to receive the certificate, which recognises the facilities’ efforts in practicing the process of early care for newborn and supporting breastfeeding activities.

According to Doctor Hoang Thi Diem Tuyet, Director of Hung Vuong Hospital, in face of the low rate of breastfeeding mothers due to their inadequate knowledge of the practice, the hospital has pioneered in giving consultations to mothers on its benefit and supporting them in the field, thus changing their awareness and helping them with breastfeeding in the hospital and at home.

In the first three quarters of 2019, over 80 percent of mothers giving birth in the hospital enjoy skin-to-skin contact with their babies continuously within 90 minutes right after their birth and have their first breast milk.

As many as 92 percent of mothers giving birth in the hospital gave positive feedback of breastfeeding consultations given by the hospital, and over 70 percent of them practiced exclusive breastfeeding while staying in the hospital.

Roger Mathisen, Director of Alive and Thrive in Southeast Asia, said that thanks to the hospital’s efforts in assisting mothers to breastfeed their children, the rate of breastfeeding mothers in the hospital rose considerably in the first nine months of this year.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Duc Vinh, head of the Maternal and Child Health Department, noted that in Vietnam, 95 percent of mothers give birth in health care facilities, facilitating communications on breastfeeding.

Successful breastfeeding does not depend on only mothers, but also require supports from the families, community and healthcare staff, he stressed.

On August 6, the Health Ministry issued regulations detailing the criteria and procedure to recognise hospitals with excellent breastfeeding practice, contributing to improving healthcare services for mothers and children.
VNA/VNP


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