ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Health Dr. Mukhtar Bharath has said that breast milk is the best gift of nature for children and the most complete food and due to non-breatfeeding mother Pakistan losses 2.8 billion dollar annually in head of imported formula.
Minister of State for Health Dr. Mukhtar Bharath has said that breast milk is the best gift of nature for children and the most complete food, but unfortunately, the tradition of breastfeeding is rapidly disappearing in Pakistan, which is not only putting a heavy burden on the health of children but also on the country’s economy.
Addressing a seminar held in Islamabad on the harms of formula milk, Dr. Mukhtar Bharath said that the government is taking serious steps for the health and nutrition of new born children.
He said that members of parliament will also be informed in this regard so that they can play a role in protecting and promoting laws related to breast milk. He said that the government is going to launch a nationwide awareness campaign on breast milk, which will be launched from Islamabad.
The health minister warned that the harm of not breastfeeding is not limited to the health of children but is also having a long-term negative impact on the country’s economy. During the seminar, health experts said that about 6 million children are born in Pakistan every year, but out of them, only two thousand are those who really need formula milk (artificial milk) instead of breast milk. For example, when the mother dies during childbirth, suffers from a serious illness, or has a rare medical problem.
Despite this, more than Rs 110 billion is spent on formula milk and artificial baby food in Pakistan every year. Experts have called it a “worrying and unnecessary trend”. Medical experts say that major global formula milk companies are misleading mothers in Pakistan through aggressive and unethical marketing. Many hospitals and medical staff are promoting the sale of formula milk by giving incentives and gifts, which makes mothers reluctant to breastfeed.
Experts warn that the industry is undermining the tradition of breastfeeding in Pakistan through misinformation, while research shows that breast milk is a “living food” for babies, containing natural enzymes, immune cells and antibodies, properties that are not found in any formula milk.
According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), almost half of all infant deaths in Pakistan are due to insufficient or poor breastfeeding. Babies who drink formula milk are at increased risk of diarrhea, pneumonia and other treatable diseases, which kills about 100,000 children every year.
According to experts, non-breastfeeding costs Pakistan about $2.8 billion annually in health problems, medical expenses, and delayed mental and physical development of children. Dr. Mukhtar Bharath said, “We as a nation must accept that no formula milk can replace breast milk.”
He stressed that the government, medical institutions, and the public should work together to promote breast milk so that the coming generation can have a healthy future.
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