RIYADH — The Ministry of Health is going ahead with programs to implement the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.

The ministry›s General Nutrition Department, represented by the breastfeeding encouragement program, organized a training course entitled «Training of Central Evaluator on Baby-Friendly Initiative» for health practitioners across the Kingdom›s regions and provinces. The course was held in Riyadh with the participation of 19 male and female trainees.

The course aims at qualifying trainees and providing them with the basic skills to evaluate the health institutions on the baby-friendly approach according to the standards of WHO and UNICEF.

The program included lectures, workshops and a field visit to Imam Abdulrahman Al-Faisal Hospital. The initiative was launched by WHO and UNICEF in 1991 as a part of global efforts to protect and support breastfeeding. A total of 64 hospitals and healthcare centers across the Kingdom won the baby friend title. — SG