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David Shumba and Anesu Mawarire
Employers should develop a mother-friendly environment for their employees to successfully breast feed their babies, Minister of Health and Child Care Dr David Parirenyatwa has said. In a speech read on his behalf by principal director of curative services Mr Christopher Tapfumaneyi at the launch of World Breastfeeding Week in Harare on Friday, Dr Parirenyatwa said it was important to craft policies that support breastfeeding at workplaces.

“Let me challenge workplaces to develop mother-friendly environments by advocating for breast feeding breaks, workplace crèches, and breastfeeding or breast milk expression facilities at the workplace,” he said.

“Breastfeeding supports each of the targets of the MDGs and has a large impact on the survival of our children and development of Zimbabwe.”
He said this year’s commemorations, marked under the theme: “Breastfeeding, a winning goal for life”, were responding to the MDG countdown process by asserting the importance of increasing and sustaining the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding in the post 2015 agenda.

Dr Parirenyatwa advised Government and the society to work together in discouraging breastfeeding substitutes.
“The Government and society must remove obstacles to breastfeeding, including all forms of promotion of breast milk substitutes, bottles and teats,” he said.
Dr Parirenyatwa said his ministry was committed to employing strategies that promoted breastfeeding.