Exclusive Breastfeeding in Ghana Stagnated ― GHS

Excerpts from the 2018 World Breastfeeding week reveals that despite the country’s effort in promoting exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), continuing rates have deteriorated in the recent times.

Speaking at a news briefing and media orientation held in Accra, yesterday, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare said, “The country’s EBF rates according to the 2014 Ghana demographic and Health survey (GDHS) stood at 52%, with wide disparities.”

The figure, according to him, represented a gradual improvement from the 2010 figure of 46.7 per cent after a drop from the national figure of almost 70 per cent in 2008.

Dr Nsiah-Asare says the seeming decline can be attributed to certain challenges including the inadequate information on the benefits of breastfeeding, poor support from spouses and family members, rapid urbanization affecting the work environment of women, and the absence of adequate support systems.

He said notwithstanding the numerous actions and interventions including; the continuous training and capacity development of key health professionals, implementing Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiatives and the Breastfeeding Promotion Regulation 2000, LI 1667, which prohibited the marketing of breast milk substitutes, the proportion of children who were optimally breastfed still remained low.

Dr. Owen Laws Kaluwa, Country Representative for the World Health Organization (WHO), insisted that giving all new-borns an early start to breastfeeding required action on the part of multiple stakeholders, especially governments, health care institutions and health care workers.

The Media was however tasked to increase public awareness by educating the general public on the immense benefits of EBF for the first six months of life and continue breastfeeding for up to two years and beyond.

By: Hannah Bonful