Nana Yeboah Pene II, the Queen-mother of Chiraa in the Sunyani West Municipality has condemned nursing mothers who deny their babies of breast milk, and warned them to stop such barbaric and unacceptable practice.
Breastfeeding, she emphasised naturally builds and helps develop the mental faculties of babies that enabled them to think right in their proper upbringing and development.
“God has ingrained in even animals to breastfeed their babies, and it sometimes baffles me why human beings would deny their babies breast milk”, Nana Pene II, also the Benkumhemaa of Dormaa Traditional Area wondered.
The Queen-mother made the remark when she presided over the Bono Regional launch of the “Start Right, Feed Right” campaign held in Sunyani.
Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the First Lady launched the national campaign, which targets children from birth to two years and seeks to improve on good nutrition among them and as a means to prevent infant mortality in the country.
Naturally, Nana Pene II said God had implanted the required nutrients in the breast milk needed for babies to grow strong, saying, denying babies of breast milk discredited the supreme and divine wisdom of God.
In an overview, Dr. John Ekow Otoo, the Bono Regional Deputy Director, Public Health, explained the year-long campaign could not be successful and achieve the intended impact, without the active support of the media, traditional authorities, and civil society organisations.
Exclusive breastfeeding for the targeted groups, he explained would help prevent stunted growth, waste, and anaemia among children, which were now a huge national challenge.
Dr. Otoo called on the media to help upscale public education on the campaign to prevent avoidable deaths among infants.
Source: GNA
