Paediatricians in Pakistan call for more breastfeeding laws to safeguard children from malnutrition

From 1 – 7 August 2015, the 2015 World Breastfeeding Week was celebrated in Pakistan with an event organised by the Pakistan Paediatrics Association (PPA) at the Khyber Teaching Hospital. The PPA asked the government to implement more breastfeeding laws to safeguard children from malnutrition. They also expressed concerns over “unethical” promotion of formula milk.

“There are lack of understanding of the risks of not breastfeeding and illiteracy and widespread unethical marketing by makers of breast milk substitutes,” – Amin Jan, President, Pakistan Paediatrics Association

Amin Jan urged the government to specify breastfeeding rooms for mothers at workplaces and to take appropriate measures that protect, promote and support infant and young child feeding. The PPA President said that breastfeeding was an unequalled way of providing an ideal and perfect food to infants for healthy growth and development. He compared breastfeeding rates with neighbouring countries and shared that in Pakistan, 29% of mothers started early breastfeeding against 41% in India, 36% in Bangladesh and 80% in Sri Lanka. He said that it stimulates their immune systems and improves their response to fight disease.

“Breastfeeding protects babies from diarrhoea and pneumonia. It contains many hundreds of health-enhancing molecules, enzymes, proteins and hormones,” – Amin Jan, President, Pakistan Paediatrics Association

A further articles shares calls from representatives of Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services about the threat of malnutrition to the country economically and socially. They stress that while breastfeeding culture is dominant in Pakistan, it is far behind other South Asian countries with regards to early and exclusive initiation. Director of Nutrition in the Ministry of National Health Services, Baseer Khan Achakzai, shared that while the Protection of Breastfeeding and Child Nutrition Ordinance was promulgated in 2002 with Breastfeeding Rules in 2009, little efforts are being made to enforce them at national and provincial levels.

“Pakistan is in a state of nutrition emergency as most of its indicators are worse than those in Sub-Saharan Africa.” – Baseer Khan Achakzai, Director of Nutrition, Pakistan Ministry of National Health Services

Population Services International shared an article to provide insight into their work through community networks that deliver messages to new mothers about breastfeeding. They also re-featured a commercial that was launched in Pakistan in 2013.

Learn more about the Pakistan Paediatrics Association event: Dawn.

Learn more about the calls from Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services: Dawn

Learn more about the Population Services International article: PSI Impact.

Click here to learn more about 2015 World Breastfeeding Week activities across SUN Countries and Networks.