Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Health in collaboration with Alive& Thrive on August 26 announced two hospitals as Centres of Excellence forBreastfeeding, including Tran Van Thoi Hospital in southern Ca Mau province andCan Tho Gynaecology and Obstetrics Hospital in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.
The Centre of Excellence for Breastfeeding is awarded to hospitals for creatingand maintaining breastfeeding-friendly environments which is critical to thehealth of both mothers and their newborns, said Prof. Nguyen Viet Tien, DeputyMinister of Health.
This is the first-time feedback from mothers who have recently delivered at ahospital has been incorporated into the hospital designation. It reflects thedirection of the Ministry of Health to improve healthcare services towards patients’satisfaction, said Nguyen Duc Vinh, Director of the ministry's Maternal andChild Health Department.
Twenty-eight hospitals have so far applied for the Centre of Excellencedesignation nationwide, including four private hospitals; more than half ofthem are district hospitals. Eight other hospitals have been designated andwill also be awarded later this year.
The Centre of Excellence model is important because early initiation ofbreastfeeding – within the first hour of birth – is highly beneficial to both amother and a newborn baby. - VNA
VNA