Image of a baby used for representation only.
DOHA: The Global Breast-feeding Scorecard 2018 released by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef indicates that 49.5 percent of births in Qatar occur in baby-friendly hospitals and maternities.
It has revealed that majority of babies are born at birthing facilities which promote breast-feeding, as result of the efforts taken to increase the numbers of infants who are exclusively breast-fed during their first six months in the country.
The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) of the WHO and Unicef is a global effort focuses on adopting best practices in breast-feeding with the aim of promoting wellness of the mother and her baby. The programme also restricts use by the hospital of free formula or other infant care aids provided by formula companies.
The report “Enabling women to breast-feed through better policies and programmes: Global Breast-feeding Scorecard 2018,” also indicates that 34 percent of babies born in Qatar are breast-fed within the first hour of their birth and 29 percent are exclusively breast-fed in the first six month without feeding with any substitutes.
“Breast-feeding is continued for one year among 65 percent of infants and for two years among 32 percent of children,” the report says.
The Global Breast-feeding Scorecard periodically reviews national progress on implementing seven actions needed to enable women to breast-feed, including funding of breast-feeding programmes, regulation of marketing of breast-milk substitutes, maternity protection in the workplace, compliance with the BFHI, access to breast-feeding counselling and training, availability of community support programmes, and consistent monitoring.
Since 2016 the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) have taken several steps to introduce the BFHI in hospitals and health centres. In 2017 the MoPH finalised a draft law regulating breast-milk substitutes. Also in February 2017, five government and public hospitals had taken steps in becoming baby-friendly hospitals.
The BFHI at the Women Wellness and Research Centre Baby is recognized by the WHO. Under the initiative WWRC’s Breastfeeding Clinic provides essential services and support to mothers who want to successfully breastfeed, including mothers who are having difficulties breastfeeding. According to the WHO, infants who are not breastfed are at an increased risk of illness that can compromise their growth and raise their risk of death or disability. The organization recommends that feeding should be initiated within the first hour after birth. Around 1.3 million deaths globally can be prevented each year by exclusive breastfeeding.
