United Christian Hospital accredited as Baby Friendly Hospital (with photos)

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) announced today (July 28) that United Christian Hospital (UCH) has become the eighth public hospital to have obtained the Baby Friendly Hospital (BFH) accreditation. UCH has continued to give impetus to breastfeeding and the breastfeeding rate in UCH achieved a remarkable result of over 80 per cent in the first half of 2023.
 
     UCH has all along endeavoured to promote and support breastfeeding. The UCH Breastfeeding Promotion Committee has done substantial work to strengthen staff training, improve breastfeeding facilities in the hospital and formulate a comprehensive infant feeding policy, ensuring that all staff have adequate knowledge and skills to promote breastfeeding. The hospital also has organised a World Breastfeeding Week event every year not only for better promotion of breastfeeding but also to hand out certificates to postnatal staff who have continued breastfeeding for six months or more in the past year as encouragement and appreciation.
 
     In addition, UCH's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) has been working with the Health Resource Centre since 2021 to provide weekly online courses to teach parents the basics of breastfeeding as well as postpartum practice. The O&G Specialist Outpatient Clinic also has an Antenatal Counselling Service and Infant Feeding Information Centre which provide sufficient knowledge, professional advice and assistance on breastfeeding to mothers. The O&G has been encouraging parents-to-be to join their regular natural childbirth course and even teamed up with hospital volunteers to form a UCH Breastfeeding Volunteer Team to provide appropriate counselling services and share breastfeeding experience with parents who attend follow-up consultations.
 
     Apart from UCH, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Queen Mary Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital, Kwong Wah Hospital, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Tuen Mun Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital have already been accredited.