Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam cooperate to promote breastfeeding

Hospitals with excellent breastfeeding practices, babies will be skin-to-skin with mom for first 90 minutes after birth (Photo: Vietnamplus)

Hanoi (VNA)- From October 4-7, 2022, representatives of the Ministry of Health of Cambodia and Laos had a working visit to learn from the model of an excellent breastfeeding practice hospital in Vietnam.

Implemented from 2019 until now, this initiative has been replicated in more than 80 hospitals in 16 provinces and cities of Vietnam.

The visit was an opportunity for the delegations to observe and learn from experience in developing excellent breastfeeding practices in Cambodia and Laos, and contribute to further improving the model in Vietnam.

Dinh Anh Tuan, Director of the Department of Maternal and Child Health (Ministry of Health) said this was a significant event. It creates a foundation for knowledge sharing among three countries in the context of transnational health post COVID-19.  It’s expected that a network of pioneering hospitals and medical staff in the field of supporting breastfeeding practices will be deployed in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, Prak Sophonneary, a representative of Cambodia’s Ministry of Health commented that Cambodia was impressed with the process of implementing breastfeeding practice in Vietnamese hospitals.  These results have demonstrated the commendable efforts of the whole health system to improve maternal and childcare services in the country.

According to Prak Sophonneary, integrating the criteria of hospitals with excellent breastfeeding practices into the set of hospital quality criteria is valuable experience for Cambodia to consider for adjustments at the local level.

Medical facilities are awarded the title of excellent breastfeeding practice when complying with regulations on supporting breastfeeding practices. This creates conditions for mothers and babies to be skin-to-skin after birth, early breastfeeding, and exclusive breastfeeding during hospital stay. The practice is important, whether the mother had a normal delivery or a cesarean section.

Increasing the rate of early and exclusive breastfeeding plays an important role in the health and well-being of both mother and child, bringing great benefits to society as a whole.

During the visit, the delegation attended an award ceremony of the title of Excellent Breastfeeding Practice Hospital to Quang Nam Central General Hospital.

From 2019 to present, with the support of the Alive & Thrive Initiative and the Irish Embassy, Quang Nam Provincial Department of Health has successfully deployed eight hospitals with excellent breastfeeding practices and one milk bank, 78 consulting rooms and 66 child-rearing support groups.

Quang Nam has become one of the pioneering provinces in promoting breastfeeding and taking care of mothers and children across the country.

Speaking at the event, Sean Farrell, Deputy Ambassador of Ireland to Vietnam emphasized that Ireland is proud to support Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in improving the quality of maternal and newborn health care, especially preterm birth and ethnic minorities who have difficulty in accessing health services.

Souliphone Soudachanh - Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination, Treatment and Rehabilitation under the Lao Ministry of Health said Laos sent representatives from leading hospitals in the field of obstetrics and gynecology in Laos to join the event to replicate the initiative in Laotian hospitals.

Quang Nam province borders Laos, and thus there is cooperation between hospitals of the two countries. Replication will be prioritized in these localities, she added.

Laos and Cambodia are pursuing a roadmap to build an excellent breastfeeding system from the initiative implemented in Vietnam. The country had its first two hospitals accredited in November 2021, and the next three will receive the title in 2022.

Cambodia is in the process of completing indicators to integrate the integral family breastfeeding system into the national hospital quality standards./.