Karachi: The Sindh Assembly has enacted the Sindh Protection and Promotion of Breastfeeding Child Nutrition Act against the sale of artificial milk, under which milk fed to children will not be sold at all medical stores in the province without a doctor’s prescription and artificial milk will also be written on the cartons.
President of the Pakistan Pediatric Association and Vice Chancellor of the Punjab University, Professor Masood Sadiq, President of Sindh, Professor Waseem Jamalvi, and Dr Khalid Shafi said that the breastfeeding rate in Pakistan is 48 percent.
He said that 52 percent of mothers in Pakistan do not breastfeed their children, due to which newborn children are suffering from various infections including measles, diarrhea, pneumonia, typhoid at an early age.
Professor Masood Sadiq and Dr. Khalid Shafi said that breastfeeding for two years builds self-confidence and immunity in children, children also develop mentally, and breast milk is sterilized, which also protects children from various diseases.
Professor Wasim Jamalvi and Dr. Khalid Shafi said that milk from 20 companies producing artificial milk is being sold, which is also harmful to the health of children.
They said that the monthly cost of artificial milk imported from foreign countries is 25 to 30 thousand rupees and the annual cost is 360 thousand rupees, and thus Pakistan’s foreign exchange is being transferred to foreign countries.
They said that for this reason, the Pakistan Pediatric Association, in consultation with the government, got the Sindh Protection and Breastfeeding Act passed, which was immediately implemented.
Experts said that the Sindh government has also formed a board in this regard, which also includes representatives of the Sindh Healthcare Commission and the Pakistan Pediatrics Association.
He said that if any doctor promotes artificial milk, he will be fined Rs. 5 lakh and punished for 6 months. No boards of artificial milk will be displayed in various hospitals and artificial milk will not be available from medical stores without a doctor’s prescription.
Experts said that if a newborn is given artificial milk in case of any emergency, milk will be given for a few days on the instructions of doctors in the hospital.
To a question, he said that artificial milk does not develop immunity in children, due to which children are suffering from various diseases at an early age, most children do not even like artificial milk, due to which children are suffering from diarrhea, digestive system and other diseases.
Doctors said that artificial milk is not food for children, to implement this law in Sindh province, pediatricians have also been strictly prohibited from prescribing artificial milk.
