Roseyati Yaakub, head of Community Nutrition Division of the Ministry of Health, said the benefits of breastfeeding include provision of protection to infants by giving them nutrients and antibodies, and protection against diseases.
She said that preliminary results from a local study on the impact of Maternity Leave Regulation on the practice of exclusive breastfeeding amongst women have shown an overall increase in the rate from 35 percent in 2010 to 41 percent in 2013 among babies in the first six months of life.
At the same time, the study also looked into exclusive breastfeeding among working mothers. This also showed a similar positive trend with an increased rate from 33 percent in 2012 to 37 percent in 2013. However, both results are still much lower than the global target of 50 percent, she said.
Yaakub said the health ministry has set a target to reach a 50-percent exclusive breastfeeding rate by 2020.
By Ruchi Singh
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
