Health Ministry issues new guidelines to strengthen breastfeeding support and maternal care

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Health and Food Safety has introduced new guidelines requiring health facilities to meet 10 standards each for postpartum mothers and newborns, with a focus on supporting breastfeeding, protecting maternal and newborn health, and ensuring mother- and child-friendly services.

The ministry said in a press release on Thursday that the Mother and Child-Friendly Health Facility Program Operation Guidelines, 2026, aim to make programs under the previous Mother and Child-Friendly Service Campaign Guidelines in Health Facilities, 2016, more systematic and effective.