Gov’t to Review Laws That Support Breastfeeding

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says that stakeholders are being engaged to review and improve national laws that support breastfeeding.

In a message delivered by Public Health Nurse, Debbion Pinnock Harvey, at Westmoreland Public Health Services’ ‘Breastfeeding March and Road Show’ in Darliston on Tuesday (September 17), Dr. Tufton noted that the objective is to create a more enabling environment for mothers to breastfeed in order to improve the health of their babies.

“[This will] also ensure that workers in the informal economy and other vulnerable groups are recognised and protected by national laws. We also encourage employers to implement breastfeeding-friendly workplaces by establishing support facilities such as crèches, breastfeeding rooms and flexible work hours,” he noted.

Dr. Tufton said that the Ministry has spearheaded the development of the National Infant and Young Child Feeding Policy, which has the objective of creating “a sustainable environment that will contribute to a reduction in child mortality and morbidity and improvement in child health and nutrition”.

Meanwhile, the Ministry is encouraging greater family support for lactating mothers as the country marks National Breastfeeding Week 2019 from September 16 to 22.

“Although breastfeeding is the mother’s domain, with close support from fathers, partners, families, workplaces and communities, breastfeeding will improve,” Dr. Tufton said.

Breastfeeding is the responsibility of all, the Minister said. “Wherever you are, you can inform, anchor, engage and galvanise the message of breastfeeding as the fountain of life by raising awareness of the risks and disadvantages of artificial feeding and advocating for greater investment in breastfeeding programmes and policies,” he noted.

The Westmoreland Public Health Services ‘Breastfeeding March and Road Show’ was held under the theme, ‘Empower Parents: Enable Breastfeeding, Now and for the Future!’

The event featured health stakeholders from across the parish, who partnered with parents, schools and the police to make presentations on the benefits of breastfeeding.