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Breastfeeding
Saves Millions of Rupees and Thousands of Children Dying of Diarrhoea
and Pneumonia
"For many years, the focus of breastfeeding had been on the well-being
of babies; but now, it encompasses mothers as well, as only the
good health of mothers ensures healthy growth of babies." This was
stated by keynote speaker, Dr. D.S. Akram, Head of Paediatrics,
Civil Hospital, Karachi, during the International Breastfeeding
Day celebrations at Aga Khan University (AKU) on August 6, 2002.
The
theme for this year was "Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies", highlighting
the importance of breastfeeding for the baby and the need for proper
nutrition for the mother.
Dr.
D. S. Akram said AKU could set an example by reaching out to households
and educating mothers about the need for exclusive breastfeeding.
She said the Sindh province has the best teams of doctors, nurses
and government officials, who are collaboratively working towards
making hospitals baby-friendly. "It's time we went to the grass-roots
level - to the communities who need to be educated on the significance
of breastfeeding," she suggested.
Chief
guest, Dr. Asif Aslam, Programme Officer for Health, UNICEF, Sindh,
said, around 47% of children in Pakistan were malnourished and about
50% had low birth weight. "Mothers may not want to breastfeed by
choice, but it would be sad if they did so out of ignorance," he
added.
Khurshid
Khowaja, Director Nursing Services, AKUH, said, "Breastfeeding provides
optimum nourishment to the child and reduces the chances of disease
.. It is important to educate mothers and families to breastfeed
babies in the first two years."
Explaining
the economic effect of the huge imports of formula milk, Dr. Gaffar
Billoo, Chair of the Paediatrics Department at AKUH, calculated
that "Rs. 7,200 per child is spent on formula milk, and this amount
does not include the cost of bottles, fuel, sterilizers, and treatment
of diseases spawning from the use of formula milk." He proposed
that "if we could look after the nutrition of mothers and educate
and encourage them to breastfeed
their
babies, we will not only save millions of rupees, but also thousands
of children dying of diarrhoea and pneumonia in the first year of
their lives."
Dr.
Rahat Qureshi, Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and
Gynaecologyof AKU, gave an international perspective on breastfeeding
and highlighted its growing importance worldwide. She noted that
"In line with the World Breastfeeding Week 2002 goals, we need to
protect, promote and support the health and well-being of mothers
. the act of breastfeeding contributes to healthy growth and psychosocial
development of both the mother and the child."
Other
speakers included head nurses Farida Datoo and Yasmin Mithani. The
event also included a panel discussion with parents, and a prize
distribution ceremony for poster and quiz competitions.
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