Borno State Ministry of Health and human services has pledged to achieve 50% exclusive breastfeeding by 2024 in accordance with the World Health Assembly target.
The Permanent Secretary of Borno’s ministry of health, Dr Mohammed Ghuluze, disclosed this in Maiduguri on Tuesday, while flagging off this year’s World Breastfeeding Week with a theme “Let’s make breastfeeding and work, work!”
He noted that Bomo state, with an exclusive breastfeeding rate of 40% aims to step up this rate toward the World Health Assembly targeting 50 per cent with this year’s theme while supporting working mothers to continue EBF up to 6 months.
According to him, ”Borno state would take urgent steps to protect, promote and support optimal infant and young child feeding, including legislative protection, social promotion and health worker and health system support via Baby Friendly Initiatives (BFD) and additional approaches.
“Evidence reveals that women with less than three months of maternity leave tend to have shorter breastfeeding durations than those with three or more months of leave.”
Ghuluze explained that Borno state already has in place four months of maternity leave for working women but still, the government is committed to making sure that every child is exclusively breastfed for 6 months.
“This year’s World Breastfeeding Week is intended to galvanize the nation across multiple sectors, including the private sector, on how to improve existing breastfeeding facilities, create new ones where there are none, and review the possibility of legislating policies that promote breastfeeding-friendly workplaces.”
Despite overall improvements in some of the state’s breastfeeding indicators, practices still fall short of the global public health recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for six months followed by safe and appropriate complementary feeding with continued breastfeeding for up to two years of age or beyond (World Health Assembly resolution 54.2).
“Women, therefore, need continued support from the Government, health system, workplaces and communities to play their critical roles in empowering them and sustaining breastfeeding-friendly environments,” said Ghuluze.
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