'Working mothers should be encouraged to breast feed'
Nadira Gunatilleke
'After 30 years of war, Sri Lanka is on the threshold of rapid
development. More and more women go to work now than ever before.
Therefore, the home and workplace environment should be facilitated for
working mothers to breastfeed their infants. Breastfeeding helps reduce
the risk of breast cancer in women,' WHO Representative to Sri Lanka Dr.
R.F. Mehta said.
Addressing a media seminar and workshop on 'the Sri Lanka Code for
Protection and support of breastfeeding and marketing of designated
products' at Waters Edge Hotel, Battaramulla recently, Dr. Mehta said
that the political leadership in Sri Lanka along with health staff will
make Sri Lanka a beacon in Asia for doing so much with so little.
Health Deputy Minister Lalith Dissanayake said that Sri Lanka has
best health indicators in many subject areas,such as, maternal and
infant mortality rates, life expectancy etc. Nutrition cannot be
improved without changing the attitudes of people. When certain
television programmes show a world famous Sri Lankan spotsman consuming
an expensive and less nutritious food item, children do not like to eat
cheap nutritious green leaves. They tend to demand the same type of food
as depicted in the TV advertisement. Some advertisements show infants
walking which is far from the reality. Legal action can be taken against
such fake and fabricated advertisements.
The deputy minister said there is nothing in the world that can be
compared to breast milk.
The best food that an infant can ever get is breast milk. Private
sector employers should encourage working mothers to breast feed their
infants and provide the required facilities for them. |