Exclusive Breastfeeding: JSPHDA Seeks Support Of Parents, Partners, Traditional Leaders

Abdullah Tsoho

As part of efforts to promote exclusive breastfeeding, the Jigawa State Primary Health Development Agency (JSPHDA) seeks to support and cooperate with parents, partners, and religious and traditional leaders towards improvement of the exercise in the state.

The call was made by the permanent secretary, of Jigawa State Primary Healthcare Development agency Dr. Kabir Ibrahim while briefing newsmen as part of the continuation of the World Breastfeeding Week celebration in the state with the theme ‘Let exclusive breastfeeding work while at work’.

He explained that, as part of an effort to promote exclusive breastfeeding, the agency formed a team with the aim of working on challenges bedeviling the practices of exclusive breastfeeding in the state.

Dr Kabir who urged parents particularly mothers to support the moves said, the idea of extending maternity leave from three to six months, is to give mothers more chances and time to breastfeed their babies.

According to him, the importance of exclusive breastfeeding can never be emphasized, as it helps the babies, mothers, fathers, and even the community at large.

He identified some of the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding as the building of strong immunity for the babies and as strong protection against child killer diseases. while for mother it helps them against breast cancer, and save them time among many other benefits.

While to the fathers, exclusive breastfeeding helps them to improve their economy by making the baby more brilliant to contribute to the development of the family and community.

It can be recalled that, during the flag-off of the ceremony, the wife of Jigawa governor Hajiya Hadiza Umar Namadi appealed for the extension of maternity leave from three to six months in the state.