WHILE politicians squabble among themselves over matters of power, a PTI MNA has helped shine a spotlight on a significant problem for current and future generations of Pakistanis. Nafeesa Inayatullah has tabled an amendment to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan Act, 2010, to restrict the sale of baby formula in the country by making it conditional on a prescription by a doctor in cases where it is deemed necessary. Behind that seemingly simple idea lies a distressing reality: while the World Health Organisation recommends that babies should be only given breast milk for the first six months, in Pakistan only 40pc or so of babies six months and younger are exclusively breastfed. Unscrupulous business practices by companies selling baby formula, social norms that downplay the immense nutritional and health value of breast milk, and time constraints for working mothers, both in terms of homemaking and jobs outside the home, have helped sustain the sale of baby formula at undesirably high levels. Intervention is clearly needed.

Ms Inayatullah’s suggested intervention by amending the Drap Act, however, is unlikely to deliver adequate results on its own. Restricting the supply of baby formula by curbing official sales may well create a black market for the product, where quality concerns would be magnified. A long-term solution will have to rely on educating mothers and families to progressively reduce the demand for baby formula. From reducing stunting and child mortality to increasing cognitive benefits and a range of undisputed health benefits for mother and child, breast milk is a superior option compared to any commercially available substitute. Mothers who do use baby formula should not be stigmatised, but through awareness campaigns made aware of the relative benefits of breast milk, particularly in the first six months of a baby’s life. That will take time, but it will need a great deal of determination. A national conversation about the prevalence of child sexual assault should be supplemented with other aspects of a child’s well-being.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2018