ISLAMABAD: Prescribing formula milk to babies without a genuine reason is a crime, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said on Tuesday.

In a video statement issued in connection with Breastfeeding Week, being observed from Aug 1 to 7 globally, Dr Sultan said mother’s milk was essential not just for the child’s mental and physical growth but for the mother’s health too.

“In Pakistan, the ratio of breastfeeding is very low compared to other countries. Ministry of National Health Services has issued a guideline, regarding Breastfeeding, in collaboration with provinces. It is illegal to give and prescribe formula milk to babies without any genuine reason. Doctors should urge mothers to ensure exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months,” Dr Sultan said.

It is worth mentioning that a few years ago, a joint report of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations’ International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) claimed that no country in the world fully met the recommended breastfeeding standards and only 23 countries, out of 194, had exclusive breastfeeding rates above 60pc. It added that Pakistan stood at 18pc for early initiation of breastfeeding and only 37.7pc mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding for six months.

Says ratio of breastfeeding low in Pakistan

After the outbreak of coronavirus, WHO last year had advised mothers not to stop breastfeeding as an active virus has not, to date, been detected in the breast milk of any mother whether she was a confirmed or suspected carrier of the virus.

The report titled, ‘Marketing of BreastMilk Substitutes: National Implementation of the International Code’ had been released by WHO, Unicef and the International Baby Food Action Network.

Mothers, in the report, have been asked to wash hands frequently with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand rub, especially before touching the baby and wear a mask at all times.

Even if mothers do not have a medical mask, they should follow all other infection prevention measures, and continue breastfeeding, the report had suggested.

In 2017, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) had directed recall of highly injurious baby milk in the country imported from France and marketed by two local companies. The order was issued after the French government had declared the milk injurious to health for containing highly sensitive bacteria that could cause prolonged diarrhoea and abdomen-related diseases in infants.

The French government had ordered its manufacturer to recall all consignments from across the globe and pay compensation to its users believed mostly to be in seven countries including Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2021