Stakeholders in the maternal and child healthcare sector
in the country have made a case for an appropriate legislation to enable
nursing mothers in the country enjoy fully paid six months maternity leave.
The health experts who spoke at an event to mark a
week-long World Breastfeeding programme held in Abuja on Tuesday, said the
extension of the maternity leave would help nursing mothers to take adequate
care of their babies by ensuring six months exclusive breastfeeding.
To this end, the stakeholders said the ministries
in charge of labour and health should put up a strong advocacy at the Federal
Executive Council and National Assembly for the extension of maternity leave
from the current four months to six months for federal public employees.
As part of the week-long programme, the Ministry of
Health also launched a ‘Zero Water Campaign’ aimed at reminding nursing mothers
in country of the need to avoid giving water to infants under six months.
The stakeholders agreed on the need to embark on an
aggressive enlightenment campaign in the days ahead to get support for the
extension of maternity leave to six months and also to spread the message of
six exclusive breastfeeding.
While speaking at the event, the Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of Health, who was represented by Mr. Emmanuel
Meribole, said the federal government was collaborating with partners to embark
on a National Zero Water Campaign to sensitise mothers on the importance of
placing their infants on six months exclusive breastfeeding.
He said the objectives of the campaign, which is to
run in all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), would seek to
increase the number of infants put to instant breastfeeding within two hours of
delivery.
Marshi said the ministry would advocate the
enforcement of the breast milk substitute code.
In her remark, the Director of Family Health, Mrs.
Adebimpe Adebiyi, said the aim of the launch of zero water programme is to
create awareness on the need for proper breastfeeding for the infants in the
country.
According to her, record showed abysmally low rate
of compliance to six months infant exclusive breastfeeding in the country.
She said only one out of three babies in the
country gets the six months breastfeeding.
On his own, the Director General of the Nigeria
Governors Forum (NGF), Mr. Asishana Okauru, said the state governors had
considered the issue of healthcare very critical in their development agenda.
He said the rate of six months exclusive
breastfeeding compliance is barely 28 percent as against the national target of
65 percent.
Okauru said NGF was excited to be part of the ‘laudable
campaign’ to promote exclusive breastfeeding among nursing mothers given that
Nigeria ranks as the country with second highest level of under-five stunting.
“Exclusive Breastfeeding Prevalence has not improved
over the last decade. In fact, it’s currently at 27 percent compared to the
national target of 65 percent by 2025," he said.
Okauru said the governors of Lagos and Kaduna State
have approved the implementation of a six-month maternity leave for pregnant
women in their states.
Representative of the UNICEF Country Director,
Pernillar Ironside, also emphasised the need to urgently improve on the
exclusive breastfeeding practice in view of the health implications to children.
On his part, the World Bank representative, Walter
Jago, said the organisation is happy that the federal government is partnering technical
experts to engage in evidence-based research on the level of compliance to
breastfeeding culture.
Meanwhile, representative of the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation also said though some progress has been made since the last
declaration and resolve to ensure six months exclusive breastfeeding for the
infants, there is still need for improvement.
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