Tarkwa (Western Region) -- The Tarkwa Government Hospital has been designated Baby-Friendly Hospital, bringing to 10 the number of institutions designated as such in the Western Region.

There are 53 baby-friendly hospitals in Ghana and 14,500 worldwide. Dr Sylvester Anemana, Western Regional Director of Health Services, said the baby-friendly hospital initiative took off globally in 1991 with the aim of alleviating illness and death among infants due to poor feeding practices.

He said the Ghana Health Service embraced the initiative because of the high prevalence of poor breastfeeding practices in the country, adding that, the main objective was to transform hospitals and maternity homes into baby-friendly institutions.

Dr Anemana said ten steps to ensure successful breastfeeding included intensive education for mothers attending antenatal and child welfare clinics and the abolition of baby nurseries to keep infants with their mothers.

Achieving this goal required attitudinal change of both staff and expectant mothers. "These require dedication and dint of hard work by both health staff and mothers," he said.

Dr Emmanuel Kofi Amponsah, Senior Medical Officer in charge of the hospital said exclusive breastfeeding had a lot of advantages, if properly managed. He said breastfeeding the child prevents infection, iron deficiency, anaemia and obesity in later life, among others.

Dr Amponsah said advantages to the mother include, prevention of ovulation, facilitation of involution and reduction in incidence of cancer. Cumulatively, breastfeeding would decrease population growth, child mortality, is economical and had a lot of ecological benefits to the country, he said. Nana Kojo Toku, Chief of Awudua, near Tarkwa, asked men to insist that their babies are breastfed exclusively for six months.