Six breastfeeding rooms were opened for use at the airport’s international terminal on Thursday. X photo

Six breastfeeding rooms were opened for use at the airport’s international terminal on Thursday.

Supported by the Embassy of Ireland in Vietnam, FHI 360’s Alive & Thrive and Rotary Da Nang, the newly established rooms provide a safe and tranquil environment for mothers to breastfeed their babies.

Dinh Anh Tuan, head of the Maternal and Child Health Department under the Ministry of Health, said Vietnam is among only a few developing countries, which has six months of maternity leave and the healthcare sector has taken lots of measures to encourage breastfeeding with Da Nang leading the way.

Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children was the first healthcare facility nationwide to launch a mother milk bank initiative, he said. Since then five other banks and seven satellite operations opened across Vietnam. The system of milk banks is expanding, especially in urban areas that have huge demand, the official added.

The city currently hosts five centres of excellence for breastfeeding, benefiting over 21,000 babies every year. The milk bank at Da Nang Hospital helps more than 100 preterm, low-birthweight and sick babies every day.

The city also boasts a 100 per cent installation rate of lactation rooms within workplaces, employing more than 1,000 staff members and empowering over 15,000 female employees to sustain breastfeeding upon their return to work.

WAM