On August 7th, in response to World Breastfeeding Week 2023, the Ministry of Health awarded Hong Ngoc Hospital the title of “Excellent Breastfeeding Practice Hospital.”
The title of “Excellent Breastfeeding Practice Hospital” is an initiative implemented by the Ministry of Health and provincial Departments of Health, with support from Alive & Thrive and the Government of Ireland. The Ministry of Health and the Departments of Health will conduct a comprehensive re-evaluation of the title every five years to ensure that hospitals continue to maintain service quality, providing mothers with confidence to breastfeed their babies from the very first moments of life and throughout their nurturing journey.
Relentless efforts to overcome challenges in supporting mothers to breastfeed
Breastfeeding is a natural gift of life, yet it is often a challenging journey, with many infants unable to fully benefit from the invaluable first milk. In particular, many expectant mothers do not fully understand the benefits of breast milk for their child’s health and often lack confidence in their ability to exclusively breastfeed during the first six months.
At the ceremony announcing the title of “Excellent Breastfeeding Practice Hospital” Mr. Tran Van Thuan – Deputy Minister of Health, stated: “The achievements of Hong Ngoc General Hospital and Hong Ngoc Phuc Truong Minh General Hospital in implementing the breastfeeding-friendly hospital model will help spread the value of breastfeeding to other healthcare facilities, especially hospitals in Hanoi. Together with other outstanding breastfeeding-friendly hospitals across the country, we hope that the Hong Ngoc Hospital system will continue to uphold and sustain these results, contributing to the encouragement and support of mothers in breastfeeding, ensuring that newborns receive the best possible nourishment from breast milk in their earliest years.”
Understanding the challenges and concerns of mothers in their journey of caring for their newborns, over the past two years Hong Ngoc has strived to achieve the title of “Excellent Breastfeeding Practice Hospital” The hospital has implemented various awareness programs, continuously updated and applied the essential maternal and newborn care protocols of the ministry of health and the recommendations of the world health organization (WHO), while gradually fulfilling the required criteria to provide mothers with the knowledge and confidence to breastfeed correctly and conveniently from pregnancy onward.
At the award ceremony, Ms. Hoang Tan Cuong, Deputy Director of Hong Ngoc Phuc Truong Minh Hospital, summarized the two-year journey of effort and presented impressive outcomes:
- Providing breastfeeding counseling to more than 3,000 expectant mothers attending antenatal care at the hospital each year.
- 100% of newborns experience uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact with their mothers for 90 minutes immediately after birth.
- 97.6% of newborns undergo delayed cord clamping.
- 96.5% of mothers initiate breastfeeding within the first hour after birth and exclusively breastfeed during their hospital stay.
- 100% of mothers receive continuous breastfeeding support from healthcare staff throughout their hospital stay.
The title of “Excellent Breastfeeding Practice Hospital” does not belong to any individual alone.
Over the past two years, the medical team at Hong Ngoc, who directly care for mothers and newborns, have all received comprehensive training in the breastfeeding-friendly hospital program. Physicians play a key role in counseling and guiding mothers, helping them feel reassured and more confident throughout their breastfeeding journey.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Vinh, Chairman of Hong Ngoc Group, affirmed: “After more than two years of dedicated efforts by the entire leadership team and staff, particularly the obstetrics department, we have overcome numerous standards set by the Ministry of Health. Through a challenging and determined journey, we have achieved the title of Excellent Breastfeeding Practice Hospital”
The collective commitment to implementing and continuously improving breastfeeding practices, together with the effective collaboration among multiple departments, has driven the hospital to enhance service quality and establish an ongoing cycle of quality improvement. This has been the decisive factor enabling Hong Ngoc to be rapidly recognized with the title of “Excellent Breastfeeding Practice Hospital.”
Embracing new opportunities
Becoming the first Excellent Breastfeeding Practice Hospital in Hanoi provides Hong Ngoc with favorable conditions to strengthen connections between mothers and physicians, specialists, and reputable healthcare and education organizations. This creates valuable opportunities for expectant mothers to receive comprehensive guidance on breastfeeding, including the remarkable benefits of breast milk, breast massage techniques to prevent blocked ducts, and proper breastfeeding practices.
The title of “Excellent Breastfeeding Practice Hospital” also reinforces Hong Ngoc’s confidence in accompanying mothers throughout their childcare journey. With its experienced medical team and modern equipment, Hong Ngoc is always ready to implement various initiatives, ensuring that mothers feel supported and reassured while breastfeeding during their hospital stay and throughout their breastfeeding journey afterward.
Immediately after the award ceremony, representatives of Hong Ngoc Hospital and Alive & Thrive held detailed discussions to further improve and enhance the breastfeeding practices at the hospital.
Currently, Hong Ngoc General Hospital is one of the leading and reputable institutions in obstetrics and gynecology. The hospital has been implementing essential maternal and newborn care protocols in accordance with the recommendations of the WHO and the Ministry of Health. At Hong Ngoc, 100% of mothers (both vaginal and cesarean deliveries) experience skin-to-skin contact with their babies immediately after birth, and newborns are breastfed within the first few hours of life.
Follow the official fanpage of Hong Ngoc General Hospital for more useful information: https://www.facebook.com/BenhvienHongNgoc
