04 Aug 2022

Botswana’s legal framework promotes and protects breastfeeding says Minister of Health, Dr Edwin Dikoloti.

 Speaking during the commemoration of World Breastfeeding Week in Bokspits on Tuesday, he cited the 2005 Marketing of Foods for Infants and Young Children Regulations to control marketing of foods for the two groups.

The legal instrument, he said, ensured that families and caregivers were protected from misinformation and aggressive marketing of commercial breast milk substitutes. 

Dr Dikoloti stated that it was illegal to advertise commercial infant formula, baby foods, bottles and teats.

   He warned that  misconceptions about  breastfeeding abounded. 

“We must constantly be on the lookout for societal and commercial pressures that undermine efforts to promote breastfeeding.

These include aggressive marketing and promotion by infant formula producers and traders as well as inaccurate advice from some sources, who lack proper knowledge and skills in breastfeeding protection, support and promotion,” he said.

 Minister Dikoloti decried the low rate of exclusively breastfed infants in Botswana saying research indicated that only one in five infants born in Botswana or 20 per cent were exclusively breastfed.

Quoting the 2017 Botswana Demographic Survey, he  said mothers in urban areas were more likely to breastfeed than their rural counterparts.

The survey showed that breastfeeding within an hour of birth stood at 65.9 per cent which was quite low, he said.

About the commemoration, Dr Dikoloti said it was an international campaign aimed at raising awareness on breastfeeding advantages. 

This year’s theme, Step up for Breastfeeding: Educate and Support, buttressed the importance of breastfeeding in the fight against malnutrition, said the minister.

He said breastfeeding needed to be cherished and conserved as it had many benefits including provision of nutrients required for growth and development and assisting in building a strong bond and a loving relationship between mother and child.

Dr Dikoloti said research showed that breastfed infants and children had improved immune system that readily fought infections and illnesses. 

It had also been documented that mothers who breastfed their children had a decreased chance of getting ovarian and breast cancers, he said adding that another benefit was reduced maternal illnesses and diet-related non-communicable diseases in adulthood.

“When few people get sick, it means that we spend less on medical care and that can have a positive impact on households and the nation’s economy,” he said.

Kgalagadi District Health Management Team coordinator, Ms Gaboelwe Rammekwa said the area was one of those hardest hit by malnutrition with  most children born underweight. 

She said collective efforts were needed to encourage breastfeeding and end malnutrition in the area.

 WHO representative Dr Juliet Bataringaya stated that the outbreak of COVID-19 became a threat to breastfeeding with some baby food producers spreading fears that the virus was transmissible through breast milk and sold their products as alternatives.

 “We must ensure that correct information is disseminated and communities are made aware that breast feeding improves survival. Numerous benefits of breastfeeding substantially outweigh the potential risk of transmission and illness associated with COVID-19. 

 Actually, COVID-19 has not been found in any mother’s breast milk suspected or confirmed to have COVID 19,” she said.

 Dr Bataringaya said women must be given time and space they needed to breastfeed in the workplace.

  WHO would continue to actively promote breastfeeding as it remained one of the most effective ways of ensuring childhood survival, she vowed.

 For her part, UNICEF representative Dr Joan Matji expressed concern at the low rate of exclusive infant breastfeeding for the first six months. 

 Stressing the importance of breastfeeding children below two years, she said babies not breastfed were at a higher risk of contracting diarrhoea and other illnesses.

  Dr Matji called on government to monitor closely those who sold baby formula.

  She encouraged all to support a mother to breastfeed in a family setting as well as at the workplace.

Kgalagadi South MP Mr Samuel Brooks called on fathers to play an active role in supporting their partners to enable them to breastfeed.

“Let’s not frustrate them and give them stress during this time,” he said.

MP Brooks said the BORAVAST cluster had been declared a malnourished area for the past 25 years stressing that the narrative needed to change. 

Kgalagadi District Council chairperson Mr Hendricks Jacobs said holding the commemorative event in the area reflected government’s inclusivity policy. 

Bokspits Kgosi Charles Hendricks described breastfeeding as a natural vaccine and powerful weapon against infections and malnutrition. 

He encouraged spouses to support breastfeeding mothers by creating a conducive environment for them to breastfeed.ENDS