ISLAMABAD: The government is considering increasing the maternity leave up to six months, in line with international practices, in order to encourage exclusive breastfeeding.

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said though exclusive breastfeeding is strongly recommended, the maternity leave in Pakistan is just three months.

“I suggest Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) should assist the government in legislation for increasing maternity leave. How can a woman ensure exclusive breastfeeding if she only gets three months’ leave,” she said at a mass awareness campaign titled Umeed Sey Agey at the Ministry of Planning on Tuesday.

She said it is unfortunate that there is no trend for day-care centres in offices in Pakistan.

“On the other hand, women in rural areas have six to eight children. They prefer giving the best part of their food to their children and so they do not get proper nutrition. Currently, 44pc of children under five in the country are stunted,” she said.

Ms Aurangzeb said parliament is the largest social mobiliser and that NGOs should seek parliament’s help in addressing such issues.

“In some areas of PTI legislator Shehryar Afridi’s constituency, NA-14, Kohat, there were 89pc refusals during polio campaigns. We then decided to get the help of Mr Afridi and these refusals dropped to 38pc,” she said.

SUN Coordinator Dr Irshad Danish told Dawn six month maternity leaves are given in developed countries in order to ensure exclusive breastfeeding.

“Nurses corners are established in offices and even in departmental stores so that babies are not given even a single drop of water the first six months. However, Pakistani law is silent about these issues,” he said.

Dr Danish said his organisation will assist the government in drafting a bill in which it will be suggested that nurses’ corners be established in offices where three or more women are employed so babies are not deprived of their rights.

Member Planning Commission Dr M. Azeem Khan said: “This campaign is aimed at averting morbidities and mortalities in newborns due to preventable causes.”

He said the government is fully cognizant of the fact that appropriate nutrition and care helps children get the best start to life and the opportunity to reach their full potential and save thousands of mothers’ and children’s lives.

Chairman of the board of directors of the Human Development Foundation Dr Khalid Riaz said this campaign calls for urgent action at individual and collective levels in order to raise mass awareness about the alarming implications of malnutrition and focusing on promoting the right nutrition during the first 1,000 days for both the mother and the baby.

SUN focal person Aslam Shaheen said this effort will go a long way in overcoming malnutrition in Pakistan and saving huge losses to the economy due to malnutrition.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2018