Vietnam: Doctors shall help mothers breastfeed their newborns within the first hour after birth

According to Decree No. 100/2014/NĐ-CP of Vietnam’s Government, physicians and medical workers include doctors, intermediate-level physicians, convalescence workers, midwives, nutrition counselors and persons holding other professional titles, including unpaid voluntary workers in medical establishments.

Physicians and medical workers of medical establishments shall:

- Promote, support and protect breastfeeding; understand and strictly comply with this Decree;

- Inform nursing mothers and pregnant women of the benefits of breastfeeding and ways of breastfeeding and proper breastfeeding positions;

- Help mothers breastfeed their newborns within the first hour after birth;

- Give mothers guidance on proper breastfeeding positions and maintain their breast milk when they are far from their infants;

- Counsel mothers and members of their families about exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life;

- Guide and help mothers stay close to their newborns right after birth;

- Encourage mothers to breastfeed infants as desired;

- Guide mothers and members of their families neither to bottle feed nor use teats;

- Encourage the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and introduce mothers to the groups after they are discharged from hospitals;

- Identify infants that have to use breast milk substitutes.

Besides, the Government also prohibits physicians and medical workers in medical establishments from:

- Guiding the use of breast milk substitutes for under-6 month infants, except the case prescribed by doctors;

- Informing pregnant women, nursing mothers or members of their families that breast milk substitutes are as good as or better than breast milk;

- Receiving directly or indirectly breast milk substitutes, other material benefits or utensils bearing names or logos of breast milk substitutes;

- Helping production and business establishments give sample products or gifts related to breast milk substitutes;

- Providing lists of names, ages, addresses and telephone numbers of nursing mothers and pregnant women to employees of breast milk substitute production and business establishments or permit them to meet pregnant women and nursing mothers at medical establishments.

View details at Decree No. 100/2014/NĐ-CP of Vietnam’s Government, effective from March 01, 2015.

Le Hai

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