Health Sector Celebrates World Breastfeeding Week

Doha, August 01 (QNA) - The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), in cooperation with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) and Sidra Medicine, is celebrating the World Breastfeeding Week, from Aug. 1 to Aug. 7, under the theme "Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility". On this occasion, MOPH and its partners are launching an awareness campaign to promote breastfeeding, as awareness lectures will be held in Arabic and English at the mother and child forum to discuss the importance of breastfeeding for mother and child, common challenges related to breastfeeding, as well as ways to access health services related to breastfeeding. Moreover, virtual breastfeeding educational sessions will be run by the Women's Wellness and Research Center's (WWRC), and community awareness will be intensified using media and social media to deliver messages that support breastfeeding. Assistant Medical Director for Children and Adolescent Services at PHCC and National Lead for Healthy Children and Adolescents Strategies Dr. Sadriya Al Kohji, stated that the health sector in Qatar continues its efforts to achieve the national goal of increasing exclusive breastfeeding throughout the first six months of the infant's life, as part of the National Health Strategy 2018-2022, as well as to advocate breastfeeding until the age of two years in order to provide a healthier life for children. She added that such efforts are also in line with the global strategy for infant and young child feeding by protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding. For her part, Qatar National Health Strategy 2018-2022 Lead for Healthy Women Leading to Healthy Pregnancies Dr. Najat Ali Mohsen Khenyab said: "One of our plans under the 'Healthy Women Leading to Healthy Pregnancies' is to help, inform and empower women to lead healthier lives by providing them with high quality maternal care, enabling them to take care of themselves and their children," adding that "one of the objectives of achieving this is by supporting breastfeeding at the national level." "By joining hands across the public healthcare sector to promote breastfeeding, we are aiming to ensure as many women as possible in Qatar and their families will continue to embrace the practice of breastfeeding as a means of protecting infants and ensuring their wellbeing," she added. For his part, Acting Manager, Health Promotion and Non-Communicable Diseases and Head of Health Education Programs at MOPH Dr. Salah Abdulla Alyafei said: "The Ministry is working in cooperation with its partners in the health sector to promote breastfeeding awareness for both the child and the mother through launching awareness campaigns and correcting misconceptions about it, in addition to launching several initiatives aimed at increasing the level of breastfeeding and addressing the challenges faced by breastfeeding mothers." For her part, Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) Program and WBW national coordinator and nutrition advisor at MOPH Fetna Al-Naemi said: "Through BFHI, we are keen to assist mothers in applying optimal practices of exclusive breastfeeding for a period of 6 months and continuing until the age of two years." She also pointed out that MOPH is organizing four awareness lectures on the importance of breastfeeding and the challenges related to it to raise community awareness of the importance of breastfeeding and complementary feeding for children, as part of the mother and child health forum held this month, adding that more awareness-raising lectures on complementary feeding for six-month old babies will also be organized in September. For her part, Sr. Consultant, Director of NICU and BFHI Chairperson at WWRC Dr. Mai Al Qubaisi said that breastfeeding is the best start for both mother and baby, as it provides joyful moments of interaction and bonding between mother and baby that enriches their life together. The World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated annually from Aug. 1 to 7, with the aim of encouraging women to breastfeed and improving the health of infants around the world, and the ceremony commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August of 1990 by government policy makers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, encourage and support breastfeeding. (QNA)