Breastfeeding ratio rose by 10% in 2017

Say increase in bottle-fed children is alarming at 41 per cent

ISLAMABAD: Representatives of civil society on Wednesday urged for promotion and protection of breastfeeding practice in the country to protect the health of mother and child.

They said this on the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) which is celebrated every year from August 1 to 7 across the world to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies. This year, the theme of WBW is Breastfeeding: Foundation of Life.

They said that breastfeeding has a multitude of benefits for women and children, regardless of whether they live in a rich or poor household.

They added as per Lancet, a reputable medical journal breastfeeding saves lives and improves health.

According to them, as a perfectly adapted nutritional supply, breast milk is the ultimate personalised medicine which may save about 820,000 lives a year, 87% of them infants under six months of age.



It also helps to prepare children for a prosperous future. Longer breastfeeding is associated with higher performance on intelligence tests among children and adolescents.

Despite the high cultural acceptance for breastfeeding in Pakistan, the country has the highest bottle-feeding rates and lowest exclusive breastfeeding rates in South Asia.

The percentage of exclusively breastfed children in Pakistan has remained static, with just a microscopic increase evident, over the last seven years.

According to the Demographic Health Survey, this percentage has risen only from 37.1% in 2006-07 to 37.7% in 2012-13.

However, when it comes to the bottle-feeding race, Pakistan has no close competitors as bottle-feeding rates have risen from an already undesirable 32.1% in 2006-07 to a high 41% in 2012-13.

Pakistan was among the 118 countries who had voted in favour of adopting International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes during the World Health Assembly in May 1981. However, the legislation came very late in Pakistan when "The Protection of Breast-Feeding and Child Nutrition Ordinance, 2002" (XCIII Of 2002) was passed on 26th October 2002, and Pakistan became one of the 42 countries with legislation to adopt most of the articles of the Code.

Currently, all provinces have adopted or passed provincial laws for protection and promotion breastfeeding, however, implementation of these laws is still dream.  

Published in The Express Tribune, August 2^nd, 2018.