Lanka tops world in breast feeding

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Around 98 percent of child births take place in hospitals in Sri Lanka and 79 percent of the infants receive breast milk within the first hour of birth. Around 75 percent of infants receive only breast milk during their first six months, Dr. Deepika Attygalle said.

She was addressing a media seminar at the Health Education Bureau on National Breastfeeding Week. Dr. Attygalle said that Sri Lanka is well ahead of other countries when it comes to breast feeding and health indicators.

Free health services and high literacy rate of the public are some of the reasons that stand behind the country's success.

According to Dr. Attygalle no company in the world have ever produced a substitute to breast milk. Scientific studies have revealed that during different times of the day the nutrients of the breast milk change and the milk offer different nutrients at different times of the day. The infant receive different nutrients when it suck breast milk from mother at different times (morning, mid day, evening, night etc).

Deputy Director General, Health Services, Public Health, Dr.Palitha Maheepala said that in some hospitals mothers do not have a proper environment to breast feed their babies.

It is very important to establish such environment and train health staff to assist mothers to breast feed. Educating policy makers on the importance of breastfeeding is essential. Arrangements have already been made to educate MPs on the National Policy on Breastfeeding.