Hong Kong can do more for its breastfeeding mothers, even if baby-care rooms are too much to ask for

If letter writer Alice Lai’s family member (“Library not the place for baby needing diaper”, November 29) had studied at Education University of Hong Kong, she would not have faced the hassle she did in finding a suitable room for caring for her baby, because the institution has a nursery room for breastfeeding, offering parents privacy.

This is a demonstration of basic humanity, in contrast with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s unconcerned and negligent attitude of putting a diaper-changing facility in a disabled toilet in the library.

A larger point is the lack of breastfeeding facilities in Hong Kong. When administrators expect new mothers to breastfeed in toilets, they must think about whether they would like to have their meals in such unsanitary environments.

In space-starved Hong Kong, a baby-care facility might seem like a luxury. However, a foldable chair and panel, screening mother and child, might assist many a desperate mother, who probably needs only 30 minutes in the corner of a shopping centre. These kits could easily be put away by security staff until the next hungry baby needs their services. In fact, if such kits are developed, there might be a good market for them.

Edmond Pang, Fanling