Speakers at a function in Rajshahi put stress on breastfeeding for sound physical and mental health of babies. Thay said campaign against babies’ food produced and marketed without Institute of Public Health Nutrition (IPHN) registration to be conducted as it sometimes lacks proper nourishment suitable for babies, reports BSS.
Able mothers should practice and maintain exclusive breastfeeding for first six months to healthy grow up of babies, they said.
The observation came in a divisional level orientation workshop on “Breast Milk Substitute (BMS) Product Monitoring Tools and Implementation Plan According to BMS Act 2013 and Its Rules 2017” in Rajshahi on Thursday.
IPHN director Dr Khalilur Rahman presented the keynote paper at the function organised by divisional Health office at its conference hall in association with IPHN and WHO.
IPHN Assistant Director Dr Muhammad Shoaib gave an overview of the BMS Act and its Rules with highlighting the aspects of BMS products monitoring tools and implementation plan in his concept paper presentation.
Additional Secretary (Health Service) of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Parveen Akter and Commissioner of Rajshahi Division Nur-Ur-Rahman addressed the function as chief and special guests respectively while Divisional Director of Health Dr Gopendra Nath Acharya was in the chair.
Divisional Director of Department of Family Planning Shafiqul Islam, Deputy Secretary of the ministry Tanveer Ahmed, Superintendent of Police Abdus Salam, Chief Health Officer of Rajshahi City Corporation Dr AFM Anjuman Ara Begum and Assistant Director of Health Dr Monzura Rahman also spoke.
Dr Khalilur Rahman said there are complaints that some companies are marketing baby food without IPHN registration, providing gifts to doctors or buyers to promote their products.
“Public awareness is very important because we have seen children of the well-off families also suffer from malnutrition,” he told the meeting adding that stern action should be taken against the wrongdoers in this field.
