Health minister harps on advantages of exclusive breast feeding

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole has identified exclusive breast feeding as key to child development.
The minister gave this indication yesterday in Abuja while declaring open National Early Childhood Development Conference tagged;”Investing Early in Every Nigerian Children”.
The programme organised by United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF) was meant to bring major stakeholders including government, Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and related NGOs to chart a way forward for the future of the Nigerian Child.
Adewole said parents and major stakeholders must begin to invest in exclusive breast feeding.
“It is very important to invest in childhood development which begins from the womb. Children must get the best to develop effectively.
“Most disease starts when a child is in the womb that is why we must invest in pregnant women. They should be given the best care and the required food for the child to grow well. We must focus on nutrition to avoid disease such as cancer, stroke etc.
He assured that the present administration is committed to do its best in saving the lives of women and children.
“We must address malnutrition in an orderly manner. And if you breastfeed, you solve most of these problems.
“We are committed to preventing infection, premature delivery and to ensure baby develops well. But all stakeholders must do their part to ensure success because it is better to spend money on childhood than to later spend on disease.”