Ondo Health Commissioner, Adegbenro Reiterates Importance Of Exclusive Breastfeeding | The Precision

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2nd left: Chris Kolawole, PS, Min. of Economic Planning & Budget;  middle: Taiye Oni, PS Min. of Health; 2nd right: UNICEF Rep.

 



Ondo
State commissioner for health, Dr. Wahab Adegbenro has urged health
workers in the state not to allow infants formula adverts in their
health facilities. 

The
commissioner gave the admonition at a sensitization workshop tagged
“Dissemination of infant and young child feeding strategy and code of
marketing of breast milk substitutes to senior health practitioners in
Ondo State” organised by the Ondo State primary health care development
board in collaboration with UNICEF. 
Dr.
Adegbenro who was represented by his Permanent Secretary, Dr. Taiye
Oni, stressed that infant and young child feeding from the first one
thousand days from inception of a child, is the most important time in
every child’s life. 
He
expressed optimism that the workshop will enlighten the participants on
the international code of breast milk substitute, ultimately increase
breastfeeding rate and also reduce infant and young child morbidity and
mortality in the state. 
Similarly,
The Executive Secretary of the board, Dr. Francis Akanbiemu noted that
the 1,000 day period from the start of a woman’s pregnancy until her
child’s second birthday represents a critical window of opportunity for
the development of the child.
Akanbiemu
said adequate nutrition would avert malnutrition and ensure that
children had the best opportunity to grow, develop and learn.
In
the same vein, UNICEF Chief in charge of Akure field office, Tejinder
Singh Sandhu, expressed worry that some major stakeholders were yet to
understand the unquantifiable benefits of breastfeeding to the child,
parents and to the nation.
He
noted that poor environment would undermine the development of any
nation, adding that stunted growth can spring up from poor hygiene and
inappropriate breastfeeding.
In
his goodwill message, The representative of National Primary Health
Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Mr Adetunji Adeoye, said it was the
responsibility of each ministry to provide a crèche, so that nursing
mothers, who work there could breastfeed their children effectively.
He
recommended sanctions for any health facility promoting complementary
breastfeeding, adding that doing this will make exclusive breastfeeding a
huge success.
In a
lecture tittled “Making a case for nutrition” a UNICEF officer, Ada
Ezeogu, said Nigeria looses 2,300 children under the age of 5 and 145
women of child bearing age due to malnutrition which makes the country
the second most affected country in the world. 
Outlining
the ills of malnutrition, Mrs Ezeogu said when a child is stunted, it
affects the cognitive and the brain development of the child, while in
females it leads to underdevelopment of the pelvics which affects Smooth
delivery during childbirth.

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