Gov’t offices in EV urged to set up breastfeeding corners
TACLOBAN CITY-The Social Development Committee of the Regional Development Council is pushing a resolution enjoining government offices in Eastern Visayas to set up breastfeeding corners for working mothers in the bid to reduce child undernutrition.
Paula Paz Sydiongco, local health support division chief of the Department of Health regional office, said that government offices should take the lead in creating an environment to raise awareness and compliance of the Milk Code, which advocates the healthy and economical practice of feeding infants.
“Such breastfeeding rooms are needed to provide for privacy and comfort, if possible breast milk storage and hand washing be provided,” Sydiongco said during the recent SDC meeting.
In the resolution, national government agencies and local government units are encouraged to conduct campaigns on the advantages of breastfeeding and dangers of bottle feeding among their employers.
Citing reports, Sydiongco said that 11.7% of infants in Eastern Visayas were never breastfeed and the mean duration of exclusive breastfeeding in the region is about 3.2 months, and of predominant breastfeeding five months.
A report of the health department revealed that almost 30% of Filipino children under five years old are underweight, only 16.1% of Filipino infants are exclusively breastfed for six months, 13% of Filipino infants were never breastfed and not less than 39% of Filipino infants receive infant formula products during their first year of life.
“Having work is one of the reasons cited by mothers for stopping or never breastfeeding,” she added.
To address the problem, the DOH has adopted a National Policy on Infant and Young Child Feeding, recommending the practices of breastfeeding initiated within one hour after birth, exclusive breastfeeding within six months of life, and continue breastfeeding up to two years and beyond with the instructions of safe, affordable and appropriate complementary food.
The drive to promote breastfeeding has been identified as one of the strategies under the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. (SARWELL Q. MENIANO)
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