Bhubaneswar: As per National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 68.5 per cent of infants in Odisha are breastfed within the first hour of birth, which is significantly higher than the national average of 41.8 per cent, informed the Directorate of Family Welfare on the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW), Thursday. A state-level workshop was held on this occasion by Women and Child Development (WCD) department at the conference hall of State Social Welfare Board.
Attending the programme as chief guest, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Women and Child Development Pravati Parida underlined the benefits of breast milk for both mother and child even as she stressed on child’s rights over mother’s milk. Agreeing with this year’s theme, ‘Closing the gap: Breastfeeding support for all’, the minister directed officials to make all necessary arrangements to ensure the right of the child and to provide cribs and nursing homes for working mothers in all the offices. Director of Family Welfare Sanjukta Sahoo said, “Breast milk is crucial as it contains protective antibodies that help infants defend against diseases and is their first source of nutrition.” “Breastfeeding benefits both mothers and babies, promoting their lifelong health and development. The state government has banned the promotion of commercial preparations in health institutions since the Infant Milk Substitutes (IMS) Act, enforced and amended in 2003,” Sahoo said.
She further said, “The government supports breastfeeding through 12 BFHI-accredited hospitals, Comprehensive Lactation Management Centres (CLMCs) in two hospitals, Lactation Management Units in 18 locations and promoting skin to-skin contact through Kangaroo Mothers’ Care (KMC).” “Additionally, 31 Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) counseling centres are set up at District Headquarter Hospitals. The ‘MAA’ programme has trained medical officers, staff nurses, ANMs, ASHAs, and AWWs in IYCF across the state,” she said. Nutrition Specialist at Unicef Odisha Sourav Bhattacharjee elaborated on the theme, stating, “This year’s theme emphasises that many women face breastfeeding challenges due to structural barriers and aggressive formula marketing. Solutions include comprehensive policies, healthcare improvements, and community initiatives.”
Notably, the World Health Organisation recommends that infants be breastfed within the first hour of birth and exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, with no other foods or liquids provided during this period.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP