Twenty per cent fall in Breast Feeding - Survey

The multiple indication cluster survey carried out in 2011 has indicated a fall in the exclusive breastfeeding rate from 63 per cent in 2008 to 43 per cent.

Code monitoring exercises revealed that there were unapproved activities in health facilities, which could be contributing to the fall in breast feeding rates.

Mrs. Josephine Coffie, Chairperson of Ghana Infant Nutrition Network Action who made this known at the 2014 Breastfeeding week, said despite the importance of protecting, promoting and supporting breast feeding, the rate was decreasing.

The week under the auspices of the Ghana Health Service and its partners is on the theme: “Breast Feeding: A winning goal for life“.

The emphasis on the 2014 breastfeeding week is therefore to encourage mothers to adopt breastfeeding to help meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) target by 2015.

Mrs. Coffie called on all health workers to comply with regulations so mothers can breast feed without commercial as well as the Food and Drugs Authority to prosecute anybody who violates the Law.

“Breast feeding is God’s own laid down plan for providing the right nourishment for young ones adding that it is safe, readily available, cost effective and environmentally friendly,” Mr. Kumi Kyeremeh, Director of Nursing at the Ministry of Health said in a speech read for the Minister.

Mr Kyeremah said the linkage between breast feeding and the MDGs was amazing and that the theme relates to the current MDGs countdown process and asserts the importance of increasing and sustaining the protection and support of breast feeding in the post 2015 agenda.

There was therefore the need to inform people about the MDGs and how they relate to breast feeding and to stimulate interest amongst young people of both genders to see the relevance of breast feeding in today’s changing world, he said.

According to him 40 per cent of children under-five, who die, do so within the first 28 days of life, a situation which could have been easily averted with early initiation of breast feeding.

“I therefore appealed to health workers, mothers, grandmothers, fathers, in-laws and all to ensure that breast milk remains the first food for every newborn,” he said.

Mrs. Joan Ansong, a representative of World Health Organisation (WHO) said a comprehensive implementation plan for maternal, infant and young child nutrition and every newborn was an action plan to end preventable deaths has been endorsed by WHO member States during the 66th and 67th World Health Assembly respectively.

The plan she said called for the achievement of global targets related to breast feeding and explained that among them were a global increase of exclusive breast feeding to at least 50 per cent by 2025.

Mrs. Ansong said WHO was committed to support countries to achieve these targets, by integrating the strategic objectives stipulated in the nutrition action plan in national health strategies and facilitating integrated service delivery.

As part of the ceremony BET Award Winner, Mr. Michael Addo, popularly known as Sarkodie was named as the Breast Feeding Ambassador, to spearhead the campaign on the need and importance of breast feeding.