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Hong Kong International Airport
OpinionLetters

Singapore Changi puts Hong Kong’s airport to shame on nursing facilities

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Hong Kong’s food and health secretary, Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee (left), and the deputy director of health, Dr Cindy Lai, mark World Breastfeeding Week at an event co-hosted by the Department of Health, in Hung Hom last July 28. Photo: Dickson Lee
Letters
The Hong Kong government has been actively encouraging new mothers to breastfeed and we all know that breastfeeding can give babies the best start in life. 

Since our baby was born last September, we have found that many shopping malls and department stores in Hong Kong, such as the IFC, Tsuen Wan Plaza and Aeon, have excellent nursing facilities. 

They either provide enough rooms or require access through an intercom system to security staff who open them remotely to ensure they are not abused. They are well maintained and cleaned regularly. 

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One noticeable and unacceptable exception is the Hong Kong International Airport. 

On our recent trip to Singapore, we fed our baby at the Hong Kong airport after passing immigration. This meant we had no choice but to use their facilities. 
I appeal to the Hong Kong International Airport to review and improve their nursing facilities

We were shocked to find the facilities far below standard. First, there was a shortage of nursing rooms. In each location, there was only one available breastfeeding room, meaning long waits – babies can take up to an hour to feed. Second, the room stank of cigarettes and faeces. Third, it lacked support facilities, such as intercom and drinking water. Lastly, it seemed to us that the facilities were being used for purposes other than feeding babies. 

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