iHAN

What iHAN does

iHAN (Iniciativa para la Humanización de la Asistencia al Nacimiento y la Lactancia) is a Spanish non-profit association registered on 19 September 2001 that operates as the Spanish national implementation of the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). The association accredits maternity hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and neonatal units against the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes; 38 Spanish centers hold accreditation and 551 additional centers are in the active pipeline. iHAN also maintains a directory of community breastfeeding support groups, publishes clinical resources (growth standards, research guides, infographics), and contributes Spanish scientific leadership to international clinical protocols such as the updated ABM Clinical Protocol #7.

The association generates revenue through three streams: per-course fees for accredited online training (€120 individual enrollment, €50 per student for group cohorts of 20+), institutional accreditation fees, and individual donations via recurring bank transfers and the Teaming micro-donation platform (€1/month). Its educational portfolio includes the 132-hour 'Temas Imprescindibles en Lactancia Materna y Consejería' course (CME- and CERP-accredited), a free competency evaluation course, and the biennial Spanish Breastfeeding Congress — the XIII edition in Sevilla (March 2026) drew over 700 attendees and 287 scientific works. The technical stack is minimal: a WordPress site on OVHcloud infrastructure with no disclosed proprietary AI/ML or data capabilities.

iHAN is governed by a national committee of more than 20 scientific and professional associations (AEP, AEPap, FAME, etc.), the Spanish Ministry of Health, and UNICEF España. The organization operates with 1–10 employees, relies heavily on volunteer labor, is headquartered in Madrid with a contact office in Valencia, and publishes transparency documents but does not disclose financial figures or external investors.

Name

iHAN

Legal name

ASOCIACION INICIATIVA PARA LA HUMANIZACION DE LA ASISTENCIA AL NACIMIENTO Y LA LACTANCIA

Website

https://ihan.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

iHAN is a Spanish non-profit association that accredits hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and neonatal units for compliance with WHO/UNICEF breastfeeding and humanized birth standards, and delivers accredited online training to healthcare professionals across Spain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Accreditation and Maternal Health Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAFAJAN

Lactation, Postpartum & Perinatal Support Services

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Women’s & Children’s Health Providers

SECONDARYHLAJAKAG

Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Global Health & Development Agencies (NGOs/Multilaterals)

SECONDARYBPADAJAC

Maternal, Infant & Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) Programs

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Food Security & Nutrition Programs

Keywords

• Breastfeeding accreditation
• Neonatal care certification
• Healthcare professional training
• Maternal health programs
• Hospital quality standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Coslada

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Course fees: IHAN charges fees for its online training courses offered to healthcare professionals. Individual courses are priced at €120, with group enrollment (minimum 20 participants) at €50 per student. A competency evaluation course is offered free of charge. These fees support the association's operations and accreditation activities.
2. Accreditation fees: Spanish hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and neonatal units pay accreditation fees to undergo the IHAN/BFHI certification process. The specific fee schedule is published on the IHAN website under a dedicated tariffs page.
3. Donations and Teaming: IHAN is a non-profit entity that accepts recurring monthly donations, one-off bank transfers, and micro-donations of €1/month through the Teaming platform. Individual donations are a key financing mechanism.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

iHAN accredits Spanish hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and neonatal units against the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, charging institutional accreditation fees. It complements this with accredited online training courses for healthcare professionals (e.g., the 132-hour 'Temas Imprescindibles' course at €120 individual / €50 per student in groups of 20+), a free Competency Evaluation course, and the biennial Spanish Breastfeeding Congress, all funded in part by individual donations.

Product overview

IHAN offers a multi-tiered accreditation platform focused on humanizing birth and breastfeeding support across Spanish healthcare settings. The core portfolio includes three distinct accreditation programs: Hospital Accreditation, Health Center Accreditation (with phased certification levels 2D-4D), and the Neo-IHAN program for neonatal units. These accreditation programs are supported by complementary educational products including online training courses (Temas Imprescindibles and Competency Evaluation), the annual Spanish Breastfeeding Congress, and practical tools like the Percentile Calculator and Support Groups directory. The offering functions as a unified quality improvement framework where healthcare centers progress through accreditation phases while staff receive training and evaluation through IHAN's educational products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Neo-IHAN: Initiative for the Humanization of Birth and Breastfeeding for Neonatal Units, a specialized accreditation track for neonatal care settings.
• BFHI

Products and services

• IHAN Hospital Accreditation Program Evidence-based accreditation program for Spanish hospital maternity wards, requiring adoption of the WHO/UNICEF Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. Includes multi-phase self-assessment, staff training, documentation review, and external evaluation visit.
• IHAN Health Center Accreditation Program Accreditation program for Spanish primary healthcare centers (Centros de Salud) covering community-level breastfeeding support from pregnancy through early childhood. Implemented through phased certification (Phase 2D, 3D, 4D) with detailed infographics and standards.
• Neo-IHAN Program Specialized accreditation initiative for neonatal and intensive care units focused on family-centered care, kangaroo mother care, and breastfeeding support for premature and critically ill newborns. Currently in its seventh edition.
• Temas Imprescindibles en Lactancia Materna y Consejería Online training course of 132 hours over 8 months covering 20 essential topics on breastfeeding and counseling, accredited with 9 CME credits (Comisión de Formación Continuada, Comunidad de Madrid) and CERP certification (E, R, L) recognized by IBLCE for IBCLC recertification. Priced at €120 individual or €50 per student in groups of 20+.
• Competency Evaluation Course in Breastfeeding Free online course teaching competency evaluation in breastfeeding using the WHO-designed tool for the IHAN accreditation process. Free of charge to all participants.
• Spanish Breastfeeding Congress Biennial scientific congress bringing together healthcare professionals to discuss breastfeeding research and best practices. The XIII edition (Seville, March 2026) featured 700+ attendees, 287 scientific presentations, 45 speakers, and 13 workshops, and was registered as CERP provider 326045K.

Quantifiable outcome

• 38 accredited hospitals and primary healthcare centers in Spain
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and moderate.

• OMS / WHOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHAN is a WHO and UNICEF promoted initiative, acting as the Spanish national implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). The global WHO/UNICEF framework underpins all of IHAN's accreditation standards and protocols.
• UNICEF EspañacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF España co-promotes IHAN and participates in the national committee. UNICEF's logo appears prominently on IHAN's website, signaling the institutional endorsement and co-branding of the initiative.
• Ministerio de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar SocialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Spanish Ministry of Health is represented on IHAN's national committee through a designated member, providing governmental endorsement and aligning IHAN's standards with national public health policy.
• Sociedad Española de Pediatría (SEP)coreOthersSEP is a member of IHAN's national committee and contributes pediatric expertise to the accreditation standards and training curricula.
• Asociación Española de Pediatría de Atención Primaria (AEPap)coreOthersAEPap participates in the IHAN national committee, providing primary care pediatric perspective to the accreditation framework and training programs.
• Federación de Asociaciones de Matronas de España (FAME)coreOthersFAME is a member of the IHAN national committee, representing midwives and contributing to standards development for birth and postpartum care.
• International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHAN-España is an accepted provider of CERPs (Continuing Education Recognition Points) for IBCLC certification. The XIII Congress was registered as provider CERP number 326045K, and IHAN's courses award E-CERPs, R-CERPs, and L-CERPs.
• Comisión de Formación Continuada de las Profesiones Sanitarias de la Comunidad de MadridmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredits IHAN's 'Temas Imprescindibles' course with 9 CME credits for healthcare professionals in Spain.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IHAB France (Initiative Hôpital Ami des Bébés): The French national BFHI implementation, coordinating Baby-Friendly hospital accreditation across France. Closely comparable mission, structure, and WHO/UNICEF-aligned framework — a natural cross-border peer to iHAN.
• UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative: The UK national implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, run by UNICEF UK. Operates an analogous accreditation framework for maternity, health visiting, and neonatal services, with comparable training and university curriculum programs.
• Breastfeeding Committee for Canada / Baby-Friendly Initiative: The Canadian national body coordinating BFHI implementation across provinces, with comparable accreditation, training, and BFI designation activities. Direct peer in structure and function.
• La Leche League International: Global volunteer-led non-profit supporting breastfeeding mothers through peer counseling and education. Operates a parallel support-group model that intersects directly with iHAN's support-group directory and community engagement activities.
• Baby-Friendly Health Care in Australia & New Zealand (ABA): Australian Breastfeeding Association operates the BFHI accreditation pathway in Australia and supports similar lactation counseling and training programs. Comparable non-profit model and mission to iHAN.
• Baby-Friendly USA: The US national implementation of the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, operating the same BFHI accreditation model for hospitals and birthing centers. Structurally the closest peer to iHAN, with analogous accreditation, training, and advocacy activities in a different geography.

Regional players

• Associació Catalana Pro Lactància Materna (ACPAM): Catalan regional breastfeeding advocacy organization supporting mothers and health professionals in Catalonia. Operates at sub-national level within Spain and represents the most proximate regional peer in iHAN's home market.
• BFHI Italy (Insième per l'Allattamento): The Italian BFHI implementation coordinated through regional health authorities and UNICEF Italy. Comparable accreditation mandate and Spanish-speaking peer-group peers in the Mediterranean healthcare context.

Broad incumbents

• Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM): Global physicians' organization that publishes clinical protocols for breastfeeding medicine (including the ABM Protocol #7 recently updated with Spanish leadership). Functions as a clinical standards-setter upstream of iHAN's accreditation framework.
• International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA): Global professional association for IBCLC lactation consultants; iHAN's courses are an approved CERP provider for ILCA. Operates in the same professional development ecosystem with overlapping training audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/IhanEspana
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVtaYZTrkip2wVs827GPweA
• Facebookfacebook.com/IhanEspana/?locale=es_ES
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/av.marie-curie-hospital-del-henares
• Instagraminstagram.com/ihan_espana

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about iHAN