Popularising breastfeeding during Global Breastfeeding Week

Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition and Family Health Bureau have jointly taken measures to conduct Islandwide awareness programs to popularise breastfeeding during Global Breastfeeding Week to be commemorated from August 1 to 7. "How to breastfeed during disasters? Are you all prepared in this regard?" Is the theme of conducting Global Breastfeeding Week this time.

Awareness programs will be conducted by specialists of Family Health Bureau to educate the mothers in the welfare camps at Menik Farm and Cheddikulam and the Health Officers in the hospitals of Vavuniya and Cheddikulam.

Further, to educate the mothers in welfare camps about economic advantages of breastfeeding and reduce the opportunities of getting affected by diarrhoea and pneumonia.

Additional Director of Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition Dr. Nihal Jayatillake had disclosed at a media brief held at the Health Education Bureau on July 28 that during 1970 global breastfeeding tendency was at bottom level and in the year 1993, 19 percent breastfeeding tendency was recorded in Sri Lanka. Now the tendency has been increased to 50 percent.

By breastfeeding, diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary disease affecting the youth could be curtailed and breast cancer an anaemia for mothers could be prevented.

It was also disclosed that main objective of the Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition is to implement this program islandwide and increase the tendency of breastfeeding from 50 percent to 100 percent.

Ministry of Health has requested mothers to breastfeed the babies for six months sans milk food and prevent them from infectious diseases and produce healthy and intelligent children to the world and contribute themselves for the successful implementation of this program.