Safeguarding children’s right to the best form of nurture: an interview with Dr Patricia Ip.

the earth to secure the best for her baby. However, are mothers aware that the ability to provide the best form of nurture to their children has always lain in their own hands, and is instinctive? This is what Dr Patricia Ip has been trying hard to protect— breastfeeding as a fundamental human right. “Breastfeeding is much more than providing nutrition—it is inherently a form of nurturing exercise that strengthens mother-baby bonding.” An experienced paediatrician who has worked for many years at the United Christian Hospital and as a Council member of the Hong Kong College of Paediatricians, Dr Patricia Ip Lai-sheung has become an iconic figure in the promotion of breastfeeding. Her enthusiasm is evident in her major contributions that include serving as the current Vice-Chairperson of UNICEF Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Hong Kong Association, as a member of the Committee on Promotion of Breastfeeding of HKSAR Government, and as Chief Editor of ‘Self Learning Kit on Breastfeeding for Health Professionals’ produced by the Department of Health. She also has other interests related to children’s rights, such as fighting against child abuse. Despite having retired as a physician in 2007, she has persisted in her voluntary work in the advocacy of children’s rights. Dr Ip’s unremitting devotion stems from her deep-rooted belief that it is a paediatrician’s obligation and duty to defend a child’s right to the highest attainable standard of health. Dr Ip is convinced that the transformation of the local environment into one that supports breastfeeding requires the assistance of many sectors of society. Such work takes time and requires collaborative efforts. This can range from teaching the benefits and management of breastfeeding itself, but also in conjunction with other topics such as gastroenteritis and obesity, to health care professionals, to training volunteers to hold meetings and discussions with employers. Ultimately, it is about enlightening society so that it embraces the importance of breastfeeding followed by the introduction of supportive ancillary facilities and measures in hospitals, the workplace, and public areas. Dr Ip has been concentrating on work to realise the ideas and objectives of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), a UNICEF initiative to advocate breastfeeding, in Hong Kong. She has been voluntarily working for the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Hong Kong Association since the establishment of its committee in 1992, the year she was elected as chairperson. One of the goals of the association is to implement the WHO/ UNICEF “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” that summarises the maternity practices necessary to support breastfeeding in hospitals. As part of the Safeguarding children’s right to the best form of nurture: an interview with Dr Patricia Ip