Queen Elizabeth Hospital (“QEH”) firmly believes that breastfeeding offers enormous and irreplaceable health benefits to both mothers and children. Health care professionals have essential roles to play in guiding, encouraging and facilitating mothers and babies to obtain maximum health benefits from breastfeeding.

The Hospital adopts the recommendations of the World Health Organization (“WHO”) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (“UNICEF”) on promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding. This Policy is based on the WHO’s 2018 revised “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” (Annex 1) and “International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes” (Annex 2) with subsequent relevant WHO/World Health Assembly (“WHA”) resolutions. We actively initiate and implement mother and baby friendly services for their well-being.

• To provide guidelines for a consistent, comprehensive and evidence-based practice on breastfeeding and the continuity of subsequent care.
• To ensure all women and their families are discussed and counselled on the benefits of breastfeeding as well as the health risks of formula feeding when they are deciding on infant feeding modes.
• To enable hospital staff to provide competent support to mothers on exclusive breastfeeding and manage common difficulties during perinatal period.
• To ensure women and their families who made the informed decision not to breastfeed are given the same level of care as to those who do.
• To promote collaboration and cooperation with other health care providers, maternal and child health centers and community support groups in the delivery of a seamless service to enhance breastfeeding results.
• To protect breastfeeding by adhering to the World Health Organization’s (“WHO”) “International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly (“WHA”) resolutions.”