Uganda commemorates World Breastfeeding Week, emphasising employer support for breastfeeding employees.
Uganda joins the rest of the world to commemorate World Breastfeeding Week under the theme 'Prioritise Breastfeeding, Create Sustainable Support Systems', with a call to employers to provide breastfeeding corners for female breastfeeding employees.
The country has made significant strides in breastfeeding, now standing at 81% for the hour initial breastfeeding, 6 months exclusive breastfeeding stands at 94% and continued breastfeeding up to one year stands at 30.4% according to statistics shared by Laura Ahumuza Turinawe, a nutritionist at the Ministry of Health.
To this end government, through the Ministry of Health, plans to put up a milk bank at Kawempe Referral Hospital to supplement the ones at Nsambye and Mbale.
Dr.Samalie Namukose, the nutrition coordinator at the Ministry of Health, says Kawempe hospital continues to receive pre-term babies and others with low birth weight infants who cannot initiate on formula foods for their survival.
The director general of health services, Dr.Charles Olaro, who represented the minister of health, Dr.Jane Ruth Aceng, made commitments to further improve the nutrition, maternal and neonatal health in the country.
On behalf of parliament, Flavia Kabahenda, the Kywgegwa woman MP, also a member of the food and nutrition forum stressed the role of proper nutrition and support to breastfeeding mothers for the proper growth of children and a brighter society.
Malnutrition has remained a challenge in the country, resulting from ignorance even in the elite communities, and this calls for a multi-sectoral approach from the Ministry of Health, UN family agencies, gender and water and environment to look for possible solutions.
Experts have always advised mothers to initiate babies on breast milk within the first hour of birth, exclusively breastfeed for 6 months thereafter include other foods and supplements for the proper growth of children.
