This is in response to Pamela's question about the Baby-Friendly Hospitals
Initiative (BFHI) and progress made by other countries with that program.
In the Federated States of Micronesia, we are working hard to have
Kosrae State Hospital receive BFHI status, this will the be first for this
country. Last May was the Internal Assessment, and this May we
will have the External Assessment.
There are 4 island states in this country with a hospital on each of the
main islands. Two other states Chuuk and Pohnpei are also working towards
this goal. For the non-industrialized Pacific, few countries have BFHI
status: Fiji has two and Papua New Guinea has four.
For those interested, there is a very informative book put out annually by
UNICEF New York, in which the BFHI status of countries throughout the
world
are reported, that is the Progress Report BFHI. The 1997 Progress Report
is available, and the 1998 should be out at some time soon. Working with
the BFHI is exciting, health workers here very much appreciate it.
An interesting comment, perhaps quite meaningful to Lactnet members,
was shared to me by the doctor here in Pohnpei in charge of the Obstetrics
Ward. He was explaining how no bottles are allowed on the ward, and how
this was introduced some years ago with the BFHI program. Then he said
that
the local mothers accept this, but it is the expatriate mothers who are
not
happy with the regulation!! ....Still, the rule is kept, there is no
bottle
to be seen in the ward!!!
We were also discussing a breastfeeding promotional video to make for
Pohnpei, and he said "Be sure to put some expatriate mothers on there!!
Women from Pohnpei are copying the westerners, so just show them that
westerners breastfeed too!" ....so there it is, the challenge, get the
industrialized world back to breastfeeding, the rest of the world will
follow!!...Fortunately here in this country as many other
non-industrialized countries, breastfeeding is still the norm, it is only
the struggle to keep it so.
Lois Englberger, MNS, Federated States of Micronesia
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