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Saint Lucia
– The Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs joins the rest of the region in commemorating World Breastfeeding Week from August 1 to 7 under the theme “Prioritizing Breastfeeding in the Caribbean: Towards Sustainable Support Systems.”
This theme highlights the urgent need to strengthen support systems, programs and policies that enable mothers to breastfeed successfully in ensuring that every child in Saint Lucia has the healthiest start to life. Breastfeeding remains one of the most effective interventions for improving child survival, promoting healthy development, and reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases. In addition to the proven health benefits for infants, breastfeeding protects the mothers’ health by reducing the risk of postpartum hemorrhage, breast and ovarian cancers.
Whilst Saint Lucia has made progress in promoting early initiation in breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, remains a significant challenge. Many mothers continue to face barriers such as inadequate workplace accommodations for lactation, insufficient community and family support, and limited breastfeeding assistance within healthcare facilities
As such, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs is reinforcing its commitment to:
- Implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) at both public hospitals;
- Enhanced training for healthcare providers to deliver evidence-based breastfeeding counselling and care;
- Promotion of community-based support networks to provide ongoing encouragement and education;
- Active engagement of fathers and families to share responsibility in supporting breastfeeding mothers;
- Advocacy for maternity protection and workplace breastfeeding policies in both public and private sectors.
The Ministry calls upon all partners including the private sector, community leaders, and civil society, to collaborate with us in building an environment where breastfeeding is not only encouraged but actively protected and supported.
Prioritizing breastfeeding is a national investment and we must all contribute since breastfeeding improves population health, reduces healthcare costs, improves educational outcomes, and strengthens our nation’s resilience; whilst contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Let us make breastfeeding a national priority. Together we can build sustainable support systems that empower every mother in Saint Lucia to breastfeed successfully, for the health of our children, the well-being of our families, and the strength of our future generations.
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