Speakers at a seminar stressed need for breast feeding to children at the age of two years so that infant mortality rate could be controlled at maximum level. Moreover, National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Healthcare provincial co-ordinator Dr Jai Ram Das also announced that advocacy seminars on breast feeding would be conducted at district and taluka levels from January 26 to 30 throughout the province to give awareness about importance of breast feeding.
They said this while speaking to participants of a programme titled "Advocacy Seminar on Global Breast Feeding," held at the Hyderabad press club on Saturday and organised by the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Healthcare, also known as the Lady Health Workers Programme (LHWP) launched in 1994.
Professor Dr Akbar Nizamani said that 6.6 million children died under five years of age annually in the world and 300,000-to-400,000 children breathed their last each year in Pakistan while approximately 300 children died daily in Sindh and at least 1,000 children died every day in the country.
He stressed that 70-percent of the infant mortality rate could be controlled through prevention, easy treatment including breast feeding, proper vaccination, pure drinking water, better health facilities, well-trained doctors at the time of delivery and others in the country.
He said that pneumonia and diarrhea must be well treated if children suffered from these diseases. He quoted a research conducted in USA about criminals at jails there that 100 percent criminals who were deprived of breast feeding or they were less breast-fed were serving time in the jails. He said that if mothers were reluctant to give breast-feeding to their children, those children could fell prey to least mental capabilities, week eye-sight, mal-nutrition, infections and others.
He said that mothers must give proper breast feeding for two years and after six months; infants must be provided light diet with breast-feeding so that they could grow healthy and play their role in development of the society. He appealed to media persons to highlight deaths of children not only about Tharparkar but also entire Sindh and the country.
Welcoming the guests at the seminar, National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Healthcare provincial co-ordinator Dr Jai Ram Das also announced that advocacy seminars on breast feeding would be conducted at district and taluka levels from January 26 to 30 throughout the province to give awareness about importance of breast feeding. He highlighted importance of the breast feeding to curb infant mortality rate of the country. He asked district co-ordinator officers (DCOs) and field programme officers (FPOs) of the national programme to make these advocacy seminars successful from across the province.
National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Healthcare provincial monitoring co-ordinator Dr Pir Ghulam Hussain focused on the messages which must be conveyed to people. Speaking about the messages, he said that soon after birth of a baby, mother should start breast feeding to the babies immediately. He said that for the six months, babies must depend on breast feeding without any extra diet. He said that after six months, mothers must give light diet with breast feeding till the age of two years.
He said that 25 percent of mothers of the country gave exclusively breast-feeding to their babies, while all mothers ought to give it exclusively for better health of their children. Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) Dr Ambar Kashif and Dr Nadia Sorhio said that mothers could be saved from breast cancers, if they gave breast feeding to their children. They also said that those mothers who suffered from TB, Aids and other serious diseases should not give breast feeding to their children in order to save them from transferring these diseases.
Dr Khalid Iqbal Talpur also spoke on the occasion, while Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) registrar Dr Bux Ali Pitafi, staffers of the national programme including lady health workers, lady health supervisors, FPOs, DCOs, and representatives of non-governmental organisations were present.
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