Port Maria Hospital Recertified Baby-Friendly

The Port Maria Hospital in St. Mary has been recertified baby-friendly, joining 12 other facilities islandwide committed to promoting breastfeeding as the norm and optimising newborn care.

The recertification was made official during a ceremony on the Hospital grounds on Friday (March 13).

The hospital was first certified baby-friendly in 2019 and must be recertified every three years. The delay in the recertification was caused by COVID-19 and major natural disasters.

In her address, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Hon. Krystal Lee, said that the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) reshapes hospital and maternity facilities through implementation of the globally recognised ‘10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding’.

Locally, the BFHI efforts are being implemented by the Health and Wellness Ministry in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“[The ‘10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding’] is a package of policies and procedures that facilitates the provision of maternity and newborn services to support lactation. This is reinforced by a framework that enables mothers to develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months following birth,” Ms. Lee explained.

She noted that these procedures allow for the establishment of healthy breastfeeding practices, which is critical given the data that indicate that Jamaican mothers are not breastfeeding enough.
The State Minister stressed that breastfeeding is for the ultimate health, development, and nutrition of infants to build healthy bodies and strong minds.

She stated that, overall, the public health sector has been engaged in a vigorous programme of transformation for improved health service delivery, with plans to reorient facilities and the entire care experience towards wellness.

For his part, Senior Medical Officer at the Port Maria Hospital, Dr. Sydney Powell, said that the formal recertification is significant to the facility, as it assures the public of the hospital’s competence and its commitment to continuous improvement.

“It highlights the fact that as a hospital, we have met the specific predetermined quality standards [and] demonstrates our firm determination and purposeful actions in the continued provision of the best start for every baby born within our nurturing hands,” Dr. Powell said.

UNICEF Jamaica Nutrition Officer, Vonetta Nurse, described the accomplishment as an extraordinary one and a testament to the discipline, teamwork, and unwavering dedication of the Port Maria Hospital in following global best practices and ensuring that every mother and newborn is treated with dignity, respect, and evidence-based care from the very first moments of life.

“This recertification is especially meaningful given the challenges we faced as a country in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. Achieving baby-friendly status in such a context reflects exceptional resilience and leadership,” Ms. Nurse highlighted.

Meanwhile, Regional Food and Nutrition Advisor at PAHO Jamaica, Dr. Audry Morris, extended the organisation’s commitment to supporting the implementation of the BFHI.

“Sustaining this level of care is essential to strengthening Jamaica’s health system, as it ensures that the principles of the BFHI become embedded in everyday practice and delivering long-term benefits for families, communities, and the nation as a whole,” she said.

Jamaica began implementing the BFHI shortly after its inception by WHO and UNICEF in 1991. The Northeast Regional Health Authority is the leading region in the country in having all five of their facilities now certified baby-friendly.