Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has come to a pass where it has to remind itself of two key health practices that kept the state in good stead: breast-feeding and immunisation. And health minister K.K. Shailaja was emphatic that the state government would do everything possible to promote them.
Flagging off a walkathon in the capital as part of the World Breastfeeding Week on Friday morning, the minister said efforts must be made to spread awareness about breastfeeding among new mothers. “Since mother’s milk has nutrients required for a baby, breastfeeding should be encouraged,” she said.
The minister said that communicable diseases such as diphtheria could be eliminated only through vaccination. She said that the government would study the concerns of the anti-vaccination movement, and deal with it accordingly. The walkathon was organised by the Thiruvanantha-puram chapter of Indian Academy of Pediatricians (IAP).
Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Sobha Koshy, Government Medical College Hospital principal Dr Thomas Mathew, IAP state president Dr K. E. Elizabeth, paediatricians, nurses and nursing students also participated in the walk.
The state’s breastfeeding statistics was far better in the nineties, according to Dr Elizabeth. “Now, the situation is bad. We will be campaigning for breastfeeding all the year. Every hospital where IAP has members will be turned into a baby-friendly hospital.”
