New Delhi, December 29
A group of health professionals and citizen movement organisations submitted a joint statement to Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, today on Infant and Young Child Feeding, asking him to recognise ‘breastfeeding’ as a core intervention for ensuring the survival and optimal development of infants and incorporate it in the 11th plan.

Worried over the high level of infant mortality and neonatal death rates in India, the representatives sought adequate measures that could protect infants and young children and ensure proper development for those who survived. The latest provisional report of NFHS-3 and UNICEF’s recent report on The State of the World’s Children 2007 show high prevalence of infant mortality rate (IMR) in India and varying in different states. In a few states, however, the IMR rate has increased during the last 2 decades and recent years.

Today, overwhelming evidence exists that universally initiating breastfeeding within one hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and continued breastfeeding with adequate and appropriate complementary feeding for at least two years, can rapidly reduce infant mortality by more than 43 per cent.

Breastfeeding has also been shown to lead to optimal brain development, increasing IQ levels. Breastfeeding has also been designated as a key strategy for poverty reduction.

The Joint Statement calls for recognising optimal infant and young child feeding in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and incorporate 0-6 months for exclusive breastfeeding in all programmes to ensure infants’ basic right to food. Prepared by a coalition of sixteen health professionals and citizen movement organisations, the Joint Statement also asks the planning commission to declare ‘breastfeeding education’ as a basic service equal to immunisation in both health and nutrition sectors.

Dr Arun Gupta, National Coordinator, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India, informed that this called for five major actions.