By Hannah Dadzie and Brenda Donkor
Deputy Health Minister, Tina Mensah says government is working to implement policies that promote breastfeeding-friendly workplaces.
Madam Mensah emphasised the importance of creating an enabling environment where working parents can provide the best nutrition for their children at work.
She said government recognises the challenges parents face in balancing their professional responsibilities with the needs of their children. Speaking at the launch of the 2023 World Breastfeeding Awareness Month, Madam Mensah said flexible working hours and providing breastfeeding time off will go a long way to enabling parents to give their children the best start in life.
A study by the World Health Organisation (WHO), indicates that more than half a billion working women are not given essential maternity protections under national laws. Just 20 per cent of countries require employers to provide employees with paid breaks and facilities for breastfeeding or expressing milk.
Also, fewer than half of infants under 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed. Breastfeeding is a critical component of early childhood development and has numerous benefits for both infants and mothers. Despite the benefits, breastfeeding in Ghana is suboptimal. A Breastfeeding Champion, Sade Ali, shared the challenges she went through as a breastfeeding mother at work.
“My daughter is currently 3 years old, and I breastfed her for a period of 20 months. I returned to the workplace around the same time she was 5 months old, and I faced a significant number of challenges. One of them being nowhere to express milk. Physical challenges I experienced were breast enlargement because I was away from about 7 a.m. in the morning to about 2 p.m., and in that period, the milk was just coming through and there was nowhere to let it out. This led to headaches, mild fever from time to time, and difficulty concentrating at work,” Madam Ali noted.
Stakeholders, including the FDA, UNICEF, WHO, and USAID, argued that demands of work, lack of supportive policies, and inadequate facilities are some of the barriers parents’ encounter. The Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Authority, FDA, Dr. Delese Mimi Darko, said the Authority will ensure that the rate of exclusive breastfeeding rises, saying it be encouraged and supported.
“Many parents, particularly working mothers, face challenges during their professional responsibilities while providing the best nutrition for their children through breastfeeding practicing. To our men, don’t see this topic as concerning to only women. Since we were all ones’ children and enjoy the benefits of breastfeeding, I believe it’s time to play your role even more effectively. Research have shown that the support of partners is key almost critical to the success of breastfeeding,” Dr Darko said.
The FDA boss encouraged employers to as much as possible establish lactating rooms, provide flexible working hours, and ensure that nursing mothers have access to resources that continue to encourage breastfeeding. She said the FDA is closely working with various stakeholders to implement the provisions of the breastfeeding L.I. 1667 to ensure that the product information is not misleading, directly or indirectly, to affect the benefits of breastfeeding.
“As an authority, we are committed to playing our role in the creation of enabling regulatory environment for breastfeeding, and we call on all our stakeholders to join hands with us in this endeavour. Let us collaborate effectively to make breastfeeding a natural, comfortable and a sustainable choice for working parents during this World Breastfeeding Awareness Month,” She added.
In a remark, the Deputy Country Director of UNICEF, Fiachra McAsey says UNICEF believes that every working parent should have the opportunity to breastfeed their child without compromising their employment.
“It is essential to create the right supportive atmosphere that promotes breastfeeding in the workplace. UNICEF remains commited to working with the government, civil society, private sector, partners, and communities, to advocate for breastfeeding-friendly policies and practices. Together, we can make a difference,” Mr McAsey indicated
The Deputy Minister of Health Tina Mensah, said the Ministry remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that every child thrives through optimal breastfeeding practices.
“I am proud to affirm our nations commitment to promoting and supporting breastfeeding for all children. It is therefore our collective responsibility, to ensure that every working parent can make breastfeeding choices without difficulties. To achieve this, we are committed to working with a wide range of stakeholders to achieve our goal of raising awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding. We are investing in training inter-positive building of healthcare professionals, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to guide and support mothers in their breastfeeding journey, “Madam Mensah noted.
The launch was on the theme “Enabling Breastfeeding, making a difference for working Parents.” There was a drama to showcase the violation of some key provisions of Ghana’s Breastfeeding Promotion Regulations, 2000, L. I. 1667, and work constraints affecting breastfeeding. A revised version of L.I. 1667 was unveiled.