San Fernando Hospital gets PAHO's 'Baby Friendly' status

The South West Regional Health Authority's (SWRHA) flagship San Fernando General and Teaching Hospital has received baby-friendly accreditation from the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), becoming the first RHA to have all its major facilities with the status.

The Point Fortin Hospital, Mt Hope Women's Hospital, Sangre Grande and Scarborough Hospital have all received the accreditation since August 2023. Health Minister Lackram Bodoe said plans are under way to have the Port of Spain General Hospital accredited in the "near future."

The WHO and UNICEF initiative focuses on ensuring optimal care for infant feeding and mother-baby bonding in maternity facilities. Its goal is to protect and promote breastfeeding by changing hospital practices to support successful breastfeeding and shield families from commercial influences.

Speaking at the accreditation ceremony on January 13, SWHRA deputy chairperson Natasha Moonilal said the accolade was a significant milestone for the facility and raised the standard of care.

"It signals to our population that every mother in our hospitals can expect consistent, compassionate and technically sound support from the moment of conception through to the earliest stages of her baby's life."

She said that over the last few months, the hospital underwent a transformation in how care and compassion are delivered, as well as the upskilling of staff focusing on how to effectively communicate with clients.

"This accreditation is not simply a title. It represents a transformation at every level. It signifies that our nurses, midwives, lactation consultants and support teams have embraced the ten steps to successful breastfeeding, indicating that mothers receive immediate skin-to-skin contact after birth, early initiation of breastfeeding, respectful and clear communication with continuous support throughout their stay. Our practices are now standardised, audited and continuously able to ensure infants receive the healthiest possible start in life."

PAHO/WHO representative for TT and the Dutch Entities, Dr Gabriel Vivas Francesconi, said there must be a concerted effort to encourage mothers against milk substitutes for their babies to achieve the goal of having 50 per cent of babies being exclusively breastfed for their first six months of life.

"While the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes exists, we support national legislation to protect the population from this industry whose goal is economic gain at any cost."

He said PAHO/WHO stands ready to provide continued technical support and partnership.

Admitting there was a role for milk substitutes, the Health Minister told reporters after the event that the ministry was working on regulating the industry.

"That is something we intend to look at. We're already looking at the front-of-package labelling."

Days earlier, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar urged young people to become parents after Labour Minister Leroy Baptiste announced that the Cabinet approved sweeping amendments to the Maternity Protection Act and the Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act to deliver expanded paid leave and stronger workplace protections for modern families.

The reforms will see the introduction of paid breastfeeding breaks, strengthen protections against workplace discrimination, ban pregnancy testing for job applicants and employees, guarantee a return to the same job after maternity, paternity or parental leave, shift the burden of proof to employers, extend full protection to contract workers and fast-track cases through the Industrial Court.

"I urge young married couples to consider the opportunity to become parents; it’s a most beautiful and rewarding experience," Persad-Bissessar said on her Facebook page.