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Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative

 

In 1992, the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF formed the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Committee in order to promote and support breastfeeding in Hong Kong. This Committee has been organising activities to raise awareness for breastfeeding, for example the World Breastfeeding Week in Hong Kong. The Committee was registered as Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Hong Kong Association (BFHIHKA) in June 1994. We aim to promote breastfeeding and protect infant health. We are committed to create a health care and societal environment that enables parents and other caregivers to make informed decisions about optimal infant feeding and carry them through.

 

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative was first launched in 1991 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to give every baby the best start in life. The aim was to remove breastfeeding barriers in health facilities such as hospitals, clinics, maternity centers and mother-child care centers. The idea was to encourage health facilities and especially maternity hospitals to implement the ‘Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding’. By doing so, health facilities can be accredited as “Baby-Friendly” by a recognized organisation to ensure a high standard of care for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers and their babies.

 

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