The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The World Breastfeeding Week ended yesterday with a call to the global community for taking concrete steps to solve the problems in the way of ensuring breastfeeding to the children.

The call was made at the concluding ceremony of the week organised by Bangladesh Breastfeeding Foundation (BBF) at the ICDDR,B auditorium in the city.

Speakers at the function emphasised the need for providing support to mothers practicing breastfeeding saying that the breast-fed babies, are safers from diseases.

They said child mortality rate could be reduced to a great extent if mothers breastfeed their babies.

"Global initiative is needed to redress the problem since Bangladesh has no control over alternative milk," said Uzzal Bikash Datta, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, while addressing the function as the chief guest.

He emphasised the need for creating awareness about breastfeeding among the masses saying that such awareness programme has to be carried out round the year instead of observing only a week.

Datta also called upon for spreading the awareness throughout the country and make it asuccess as like the expanded programme on immunisation (EPI).

BBF Chairperson Dr SK Roy, who chaired the function, termed exclusive breastfeeding for six months one of the most effective tolls in reducing the child mortality.

He said breastfeeding protects health of both the child and the mother.

Dr Roy, also a senior scientist of the ICDDR,B, called upon all to work together to ensure breastfeeding to every child within one hour after his/her birth.

He called for the formation of `Mother Support Group' in all localities across the country.

The function was also addressed, among others, by Dr MA Salam, Acting Executive Director of the ICDDR,B, Nick Southern, Country Representative of Care Bangladesh, Vincent Edwards, Executive Director of World Vision, Prof Fatima Parveen Chowdhury, Director of IPHN, Biman Kumar Saha, Executive Director of NNP and Prof Soofia Khatoon, Secretary of BBF.

In cooperation with government organisations and development partners, the BBF observed the World Breastfeeding Week arranging discussion meetings, seminars, workshops, rallies, debates, paintings and quiz competitions, exhibition of film and poster, distribution of prizes among successful mothers across the country.