Five more local hospitals designated ‘baby friendly’

Lead Consultant Paula Trotter hands over the Assessment Reports of the five newly accredited Baby Friendly hospitals to Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton.

The Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) was among five local institutions conferred with Baby-Friendly Hospital status yesterday.

The GPH, Suddie and Oscar Joseph hospitals in Region Two and the New Amsterdam and Skeldon hospitals in Region Six, now join the West Demerara Regional Hospital, Davis Memorial Hospital, Mahaicony Cottage Hospital, Mahdia District Hospital, Lethem Regional Hospital and the Upper Demerara Hospital as internationally accredited centres for breastfeeding support.

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), launched in 1991, is an effort by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure that all maternities, whether free standing or in a hospital, become centres of breastfeeding support.