Media urged to promote breastfeeding

QUETTA: There is very low level of breastfeeding in Pakistan compared to other countries in Asia. Due to the rare tendency of breastfeeding and poverty reasons about 90 percent children suffer malnutrition in Balochistan.

Media can play its pivotal role to sensitize the public particularly the women about the drawbacks and merits of the breastfeeding to the children.

These views were expressed by the speakers during a day-long orientation workshop organized by the Provincial Nutrition Cell in collaboration with the UNICEF for the journalists here at a local hotel on Saturday.

Speakers including child specialist Professor Dr Yusaf Pervez, Deputy Director Provincial Nutrition Cell Dr Nasir Bugti, Dr Mushtaq Jaffar and Senior Journalist Salim Shahid observed that the doctors, nurses, students of midwifery and nursing schools, community health workers, youth, teachers, and religious leaders should sensitize the public about the root causes of the chronic malnutrition among the children of below age of five.

Expressing concern over the rare tendency of breastfeeding among the women, Dr Yusuf quoted the verses of Qur'an as saying "There no need to say more about when Allah Almighty has advised the women in his holy book to feed the child for at least 2 years after birth."

"The root cause of about 90 percent children's malnutrition in Balochistan is no exclusive breastfeeding, said Dr Mushtaq Jaffar and added of them 30 percent children who suffer acute malnutrition die of simple infection due to their weakness.

Stressing the need for creating awareness among the mothers, he said the women must be convinced to put their infants to breastfeeding as delays in the initiation of breastfeeding and the use of unhygienically-prepared formula, powdered milk and animal milk are contributing factors towards the increasing deaths among the children.

Dr Nasir Bugti addressing the participants, said, "It has medically proved that breastfeeding does not harm a mother, rather it reduces the extra weight which she gains during the pregnancy period.

Senior Journalist Salim Shahid said that drastic measures were required to create awareness among the women and general public.

He observed that the breastfed child would receive tremendous health benefits, critical nutrients and protection from deadly diseases compared to that of which is put on alternative nutritious food.

"Media was playing significant role in erasing many evils from the society and educating people by changing their misconceptions about many issues he said adding as the publicity of tobacco and alluring public toward smoking cigarette has screened out, milk and other alternative nutrition to breastfeeding would too vanished from the screens and pages of media.

Earlier, UNICEF representative Amjad Ansari briefed media personnel about the current situation of breastfeeding in Balochistan.