“It is alarming that only 30 per cent of health professionals are aware of Breastfeeding Ordinance 2002 and over 2.1 million babies are born every year with severe intellectual impairment caused by iodine deficiency during pregnancy,” said The Network’s Executive Director Dr Arif Azad.
The seminar on “Health Professionals’ Alliance on Promotion of Breastfeeding and Universal Salt Iodization” was organised by The Network for Consumer Protection here at a local hotel.
Dr Azad of The Network said that exclusive breastfeeding is the ideal food for healthy growth and development of infants and mothers should establish and sustain exclusive breastfeeding of infants for six months. Dr Azad explained that exclusive breastfeeding is when the infant only receives breastmilk without any additional food or drink, not even water. He said that according to Unicef’s estimates, exclusive breastfeeding rate in Pakistan was 37.1 percent, which is the lowest among all South Asian countries.
Around 22 per cent of all neonatal deaths could be prevented if breastfeeding is initiated within one hour by all mothers, said Member Parliament Standing Committee on Health Dr Zile Huma. However, due to ignorance among people and unethical marketing practices by the corporate sector, the percentage of breastfeeding is very low in Pakistan, she added. She suggested that breastfeeding should be taught as a subject in all girls’ schools and colleges.
Huma said that iodine deficiency is another major public health problem in the country which remains ignored. She said that almost half of the country’s population is at risk of Iodine Deficiency Disorder and newborns are at particular risk of irreversible mental impairment. The disease leads to mental retardation, loss of cognitive abilities, still birth, miscarriage and newborns with congenital abnormalities.
Dr Huma said the problem is further accentuated by the fact that the quality of salt production and its iodization are not controlled through a proper regulatory mechanism.
Health experts urged the government to expedite implementation of salt iodization bill and ensure separate rooms in all public and private organisations where the working women can breastfeed their children.
They also stressed the need to establish lactation clinics across the country and appoint lactation counsellor in every public hospital.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 11th, 2011.
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