Support sought for critical first-hour breastfeeding

Health experts call for stronger family, health-system and workplace support as Pakistan faces persistent gaps in early and exclusive breastfeeding

IV Report

KARACHI: Only about one in five newborns in Pakistan is put to the breast within the first hour of life, while inadequate breastfeeding contributes to tens of thousands of preventable child deaths each year, highlighting persistent gaps in support for mothers across homes, health facilities, workplaces and communities, health experts said on Tuesday.

An estimated 33,700 child deaths in Pakistan each year are attributable to inadequate breastfeeding, with diarrhoea and pneumonia among the principal preventable causes, according to data presented at a media awareness and sensitisation workshop organised by the Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN), in collaboration with UNICEF and the Sindh Health Department, at the Karachi Press Club in connection with World Breastfeeding Week 2026.

Prof Syed Jamal Raza, Executive Director of SICHN, said breastfeeding could not be treated as solely a mother’s responsibility and called for practical support from fathers, grandparents, doctors, nurses, employers, community leaders and policymakers.

He said infants under six months who were not breastfed faced an estimated 15 times higher risk of death than those who were exclusively breastfed, while partially breastfed infants faced about three times higher risk.

Only 48 per cent of Pakistani infants under six months are exclusively breastfed, according to National Nutrition Survey (2018) and UNICEF country-profile (2026) data cited in his presentation, leaving more than half without the full nutritional and protective benefits of breastmilk during a particularly vulnerable stage of life.

Pooled regional data presented at the workshop also indicated that bottle-feeding among children under two had risen from 32 per cent in 2006-07 to 41 per cent in 2012-13 and 48 per cent in 2024.

Prof Raza said bottle-feeding could expose infants to contamination and infection where safe water and hygienic preparation were not assured. Improper dilution could also result in inadequate nutrition, while other inappropriate feeding practices could create additional health risks.

He estimated that low breastfeeding was associated with annual economic losses of about $2.8 billion in Pakistan, while spending on breastmilk substitutes exceeded $888 million a year.

His presentation projected that increasing exclusive breastfeeding coverage from around 48 per cent to 60-70 per cent could avert between 7,600 and 14,100 child deaths annually and prevent 1.5 million to 2.8 million diarrhoea cases a year.

Prof Raza said newborns should be put to the breast within an hour of birth and receive only breastmilk for the first six months, without water, formula milk or other food unless medically indicated. Breastfeeding should continue up to two years or beyond alongside appropriate complementary foods.

Dr Muhammad Khalid Shafi, who briefed participants on the Sindh Protection and Promotion of Breastfeeding and Young Child Nutrition Act, 2023, said the law was intended to protect breastfeeding and regulate the promotion of designated breastmilk substitutes for young children.

He said the law extended protections to products intended for children up to 36 months and restricted direct promotion, cross-promotion, sponsorship and certain contacts between businesses dealing in designated products and health professionals or the public.

Prem Bahadur Chand, Chief of UNICEF’s Field Office for Sindh, said misinformation, social pressure and weak support systems often prevented mothers from breastfeeding optimally, urging journalists to ensure consistent, accurate and sensitive reporting on the subject.

Prof Dr Halima Yasmeen, Chairperson of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at JPMC/JSMU, said women required counselling before and after childbirth, as well as support from their families and employers, while Dr Mazhar Iqbal of UNICEF highlighted the need for a “warm chain” involving health workers, families, workplaces and communities.

M Waqar Bhatti, senior health journalist who moderated the discussion, said sustained reporting could help make breastfeeding support a public-health priority.

Based on a post-seminar press release and photographs.