From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
A Group under the auspices of Save The Children International has said in spite of the awareness on the importance of breastfeeding in the first six months, many mothers still find it difficult to breastfeed their infants.
Karina Lopez leader of the group made the assertion yesterday at the Nigeria World Breastfeeding week webinar on ‘Innovative Strategies for improving Breastfeeding and Nutrition in Nigeria’ organised by the Group.
Lopez explained that the conference was aimed at bringing the various stakeholders to discuss breastfeeding as the world celebrates exclusive breastfeeding.
Speaking earlier wife of the governor of the state, Hajiya Ummi Ahmed El-Rufai hinted that a bill to give working mothers legal backing to breastfeed their infants for six months is being drafted in Kaduna.
Ummi Ahmed El-Rufai disclosed that since August 2019, the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai had ministries and agencies to allow mothers who gave birth to proceed on six months leave in order to breastfeed their infants.
According to her, the new policy has made Kaduna the number one in the federation, saying, “we are now working on a bill to give it a legal backing.
“The Ministry of Justice has started drafting the bill. Very soon we will engage all the relevant stakeholders to give their inputs. Hopefully by the end of the year we will send it to the state House of Assembly.”
She said she was optimistic that in the first quarter of next year, the state governor, will assent his signature on the bill and it will become law.
Also speaking at the conference, the chairman Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, said the 9th senate will soon review the National Health Act with the aim of meeting with the global health trends.
He also disclosed that the National Health Assurance Authority bill is almost ready and it is finally enacted it would take care of other health issues both in public and private that has not been addressed.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
