KARACHI: Educating mothers about healthy practices stressed
KARACHI, June 25: Health experts at an advocacy seminar on Saturday stressed the need for counselling to promote optimum breast feeding practices among mothers, appropriate complementary feeding and nutrition of women. They also stressed the need for extending support to other interventions like women’s health, primary healthcare and poverty alleviation programmes in order to improve maternal and child nutrition.
The advocacy seminar on “Towards Achieving Millennium Development Goals: Improving Maternal, Child Nutrition and Health” was held under the aegis of Lactation Management and Nutritional Initiative – Sindh at a local hotel here on Saturday.
It was reminded at the seminar that Pakistan signatory to Millennium Development Goals 2004 ought to reduce its infant mortality rate by 40 per 1000 live births against the current rate of 75 per 1000 and increase measles immunization rate to 90 per cent besides reducing maternal mortality to 140 or less and increasing the number of skilled birth attendants to 90 per cent by the year 2015.
Sindh Women Development Minister Dr Saeeda Malik, who was the chief guest on the occasion, regretted that 25,000 women died each year because of pregnancy related problems and 300,000 infants did not see their first birthday - all due to facts that were preventable through simple and cost-effective interventions.
Attributing the scenario to poor levels of public education besides deep rooted trends and traditions leading to “women oriented poverty” in the country, the minister acknowledged that strong political will was required to address the scenario.
The minister reiterated the fact that poor health status of women had its direct bearing on the survival of infants. A comprehensive approach was required towards biological and physiological well being of women from their very childhood and adolescence, she added. “The nutritional status of women whether they are pregnant, lactating or adolescent is of great importance for the well being of the nation,” she commented.
Elaborating her stance, she said that importance of a good nutritional status of women at their reproductive age had its implications on the physical, mental and social well being of women as an individual and also on the growth and nurture of her progeny and during first months of its life.
She said that it was in the given backdrop that the government pledged to ensure availability of high quality maternal and child health services to all, especially for poor and disadvantaged.
According to her, the governments at both federal and provincial levels, despite resource constraints, have attempted to focus on social sector with major emphasis on uplift of women yet community involvement is required to make these efforts more meaningful.
It is not only that physical, mental and social efficiency of women is seriously affected by discrimination in traditional societies and the effect of chronic malnutrition worsens their conditions but malnutrition also lowers a woman’s ability to combat infections and be healthy enough to contribute in social as well as economic sectors.
Prof Dure Sameen Akram, Project Director of Lactation Management and Nutrition Initiative – Sindh, explicitly discussed the fact that maternal nutrition was not only pre-requisite for maternal well being but also for the quality survival of kids born to them.
Prof Noor Jehan Samad, who was the special guest on the occasion, in her presentation “Baby Friendly Hospitals - The Way Forward” said the initiative launched in 1991 had gone a long way with no less than 59 hospitals in Sindh only declared as Baby Friendly (during 1991 to 2002) as compared to 17 in other parts of the country. At these hospitals, not only the health care providers were well trained to promote breast feeding among mothers but there was also an absolute ban on availability, sale, promotion and projection of infant milk formula and other related accessories. This, according to her, is in a scenario where even seasoned gynaecologist could be witnessed advising mothers to go for milk formula.
Hence, the hospitals helped in changing attitudes of doctors who attempted to modify the attitude of parents in general, she said reminding that public is being sensitized about the severe consequences of bottle feeding in particular context of diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections.
Economic cost of infant formula in terms of purchasing costly tins and then going for treatment of top feeding induced diseases were also discussed.
She also referred to the delayed implementation of legislation regarding maternity leave for women employees of Sindh government which could be a breakthrough in promotion of breast feeding.
The programme was also addressed by Ayyaz Kiyani from the Network - Islamabad who discussed Infant and Young Child Feeding Code 2003. Dr Rashid Zar from UNICEF -Islamabad made his presentation on the role of Unicef in achieving Millennium Development Goals. Sindh Women Health Project Director Dr Sahib Jan and Dr Mahjabeen Khan also spoke.
