The Baby Friendly initiative (BFI) is an international ten step
program established in 1992 by World Health Organization (WHO) and
UNICEF to promote, support and protect breastfeeding worldwide in
hospitals and in the community. Although there are over 14,000
designated Baby Friendly Hospitals worldwide, there are only three that
have been designated recently in Canada. As the National authority for
the WHO / UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative in Canada, the Breastfeeding
Committee for Canada (BCC) has the goal of implementation of the
BFI across the country over the next three years.
Designation as Baby Friendly is a formal recognition by UNICEF, WHO
and BCC that a hospital in Canada has fully conformed to the Baby
Friendly Hospital Initiative.
Mandate
The mandate of the Baby Friendly Manitoba Committee is to support and facilitate the implementation of the Baby Friendly Initiative within Regional Health Authorities in order to promote, protect and support breastfeeding as the optimum for infant nutrition in Manitoba.
Responsibilities of the Provincial Committee
Act as the contact between the BCC and the RHA’s and their hospitals that are pursuing the Baby Friendly Initiative hospital designation process. (refer to the Breastfeeding Committee of Canada website for information on BFI hospital and community health services assessment at http://www.breastfeedingcanada.ca/html/bfi.html).
Activities
Acting as a catalyst and information resource for the Baby
Friendly Initiative;
Contacts
For more information about the
Baby Friendly Manitoba Inititiative
please contact the Co-ordinator at Manitoba Healthy
Living.
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