PENANG state assembly staff and visitors now have a dedicated room for expressing breast milk.
Located at the building in Lebuh Light, George Town, the lactation room is part of a RM1.5mil renovation project that includes improved facilities for employees, assemblymen and the media.
Berapit assemblyman Heng Lee Lee said she had pushed for a dedicated lactation room since 2021 after struggling to find a suitable place to express breast milk during assembly sittings.
“I raised the issue during my debate because I had nowhere to pump milk,” she said during a visit to the facility with Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and Making Penang Breastfeeding Friendly executive committee member Dr Tan May Loong.
Heng said space was limited in the heritage building where extensions were restricted.
The newly created lactation room was once used by assembly officers.
Heng said the state government had lactation rooms at other premises, including Komtar and Seberang Perai City Council building.
She said several floors in Komtar had shared lactation facilities, while a dedicated room was set up at Seberang Perai Municipal Council during the tenure of its former president Datuk Maimunah Mohd Sharif.
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) Grace Tay Yue Wen, who is involved in the Making Penang Breastfeeding Friendly initiative, welcomed the facility as a step towards supporting working mothers.
Tay said she was invited three years ago to survey the building for a suitable location.
“At that time, there was no dedicated space. We even considered converting a toilet, but that was not suitable.
“I’m glad a proper room has finally been provided. This sets a good example for other workplaces in Penang,” she said.
Tay said breastfeeding-friendly facilities should extend beyond hospitals and public spaces to workplaces.
“When mothers return to work after maternity leave, they need support to continue breastfeeding,” she said.
Citing the 2016 National Health and Morbidity Survey, Tay said Penang recorded the country’s lowest breastfeeding rate at about 13% among mothers six months after childbirth.
She hoped that improved workplace facilities would help increase the rate.
Phee Syn Tze (PH – Sungai Puyu) said her constituency continued recognising breastfeeding mothers through an annual appreciation programme.
She said eligible mothers received RM100 and a hamper for each breastfed child.
Penang state assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Law Choo Kiang said the upgrading project included structural inspections, roof maintenance and improvements to the building’s interior and exterior.
There is also a more comfortable rest area for assembly staff, an upgraded meeting room for up to 25 people and better facilities for media personnel.
The assembly gallery has also been turned into a visual heritage exhibition highlighting the history and contributions of Penang’s assemblymen since 1959.
Law said further works would continue after the current assembly sitting, including improvements to a toilet near the guardhouse for persons with disabilities and reorganisation of storage facilities.
He said the upgrades were aimed at providing a safer and more comfortable working environment.
