Zulekha Group founder/chairperson Dr Zulekha Daud (seated) with the Zulekha Hospital-Sharjah team and the Unicef and WHO assessors.

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

The UAE now has seven globally recognised baby-friendly health facilities from among 15,000 in 134 countries as a private hospital in Sharjah, operational since over 50 years back, have passed the parameters set forth in the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Launched in 1991, BFHI is an offshoot of the “Innocenti Declaration of 1990” for the promotion of breastfeeding around the world.

Zulekha Hospital-Sharjah has joined the list which includes 813 in the Middle East and North Africa.

Six Dubai Health Authority (DHA)-supervised primary healthcare centres namely Nad Al Sheba Care Centre, Twar Health Care Centre, Safa Health Centre, Al Badaa Health Centre, Khawaneej Health Centre, and Mankhool Health Centre have been in the list since over two years back.

The recognition was presented to Zulekha Group founder & chairperson Dr. Zulekha Daud and her team recently in time for the Aug. 1 to 7 “World Breastfeeding Week.”

The honour was four years after the United Nations recognized Sharjah as a “Baby Friendly City” in 2015 and a little over a year after Unicef accredited the emirate as the world’s first “Child Friendly City” for espousing the rights, privileges, safety, security, and welfare of every child and young adult through the legislation and enactment of laws and policies.

Zulekha Group co-chairman Zanubia Shams acknowledged individuals that have played a major role for the distinction and which have helped spread the necessary awareness and action with regards breastfeeding in both the hospitals in Sharjah and Dubai as well as across the UAE.

“We wanted to create higher benchmarks as a healthcare provider and achieve the Baby Friendly Hospital Accreditation to assist and promote breastfeeding in the community.”

The Breastfeeding Friends Society (BFS) of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah is under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi.

“The association continues to organize monthly ‘Forum for Mothers’ with all the local and private hospitals in Sharjah. (The mission is) to educate mothers on the importance of breastfeeding, to exchange experiences and tips on coping with breastfeeding and motherhood.”

BFS “aims at improving the physical and psychological health of mothers and children by promoting breastfeeding, which helps maintain the health of the community in the emirate.”

With the assistance of the DHA, was the institutionalization of the Lactation Consultant Training Programme (LCTP) also in both the hospitals in Sharjah and Dubai.

Ongoing since over 15 years back, LCTP is managed by DHA-Childcare consultant/head Dr. Fatma Al Olama, Lactation Training Programme in the UAE director as well as BFH assessor/educator.

LCTP “prepares healthcare professionals for the International Board Lactation Consultant Examiners to become International Board Certified Lactation Consultants who will assist mothers with all the concerns related to breastfeeding.”

Part of the LCTP is the training of other hospital staff as well as pregnant and post-natal mothers on benefits of breastfeeding.

Ten of the staff—including doctors and nurses—in both the hospitals in Sharjah and Dubai have been internationally certified lactation consultants.

They “extend their services across the Labour Room, the Neonatal Intensive Care, Out-Patient Clinic and in all antenatal/postnatal wards to educate and support mothers.”

Shams said: “We understand how important this bonding is at an early stage and therefore encourage mothers to consult our lactation consultants free of cost.”

Aside from the sessions, BFHI literature are given out as hand-outs to ensure proper breastfeeding practices.    The two hospitals in Sharjah and Dubai attend to an average of five to six births or deliveries each day.