WHO: ENCOURAGES CREATION OF LACTATIVE ROOM IN GOVERNMENT OFFICES FOR BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS
By: Safiya Abdulrahim Dabban
Governments at all levels have been urged to create lactative rooms in ministries, agencies and parastatals to encourage exclusive breastfeeding among nursing mothers in the country.
Speaking at the flag off of world breastfeeding week (WBW) and maternal, newborn, child health week organised by the Kwara state Primary Healthcare Development Agency in Ilorin , the state coordinator of the World Health Organization ( WHO), Salihu Abdulahi, said that such places, when created, would afford nursing mothers the opportunity to feed their children with breast milk up to two years, even while working.
Represented by Professor Ibrahim Abdulraheem, the WHO official also advised nursing mothers to continue with exclusive breastfeeding in order to protect, develop and make their children grow well
According to him mothers who practise exclusive breastfeeding are always healthy and happy.
He commended the state government for approving six months maternity leave for nursing mothers.
In her address the Executive Secretary, Kwara State
Primary Health Care Development Ageney, Dr. Nusirat Elelu, said that the common goal of the two health interventions being flagged off was to reduce morbidity and mortality among women of child bearing age and under-5 children in the state.
Dr. Elelu also said that policies of the state government had led to improvement in the health indices of the of the state in the last five years.
In her remark on the occasion, wife of the Kwara state governor, Mrs. Olufolake Abdulrazaq, commended the state government for approving six months maternity leave for nursing mothers and setting up crèches in various ministries to encourage mothers to breastfeed even while at work.END
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