Rules of law on breast milk substitutes soon

Rules of the new law on breast milk substitutes will be finalised within a month, the health ministry says.

This announcement comes amid the ongoing world breastfeeding week.

Parliament passed a stringent law to check aggressive marketing of formula milk prescribed as breast milk substitutes in September last year, but rules needed for its enforcement were yet to be framed.

The law completely banned any form of advertising of baby food targeting under-5 children and stopped sponsoring doctors’ in any way from academic exercises to overseas trips by companies producing breast milk substitutes.

The punishment for violation is three years of imprisonment or a Tk 0.5 million fine or both.

But campaigners fear its enforcement will not be easy in view of pressures from multinationals producing breast milk substitutes.

Fears multiplied after the rules for tobacco control law hit a roadblock for more than a year and recently tobacco multinationals met the health minister Mohammed Nasim in a violation of the WHO convention on tobacco control that Bangladesh signed.

Speaking at a press conference on the breastfeeding week Nasim said as a public representative he can meet with anyone.

“But I’ll act according to law," he promised.

Health Secretary MM Neazuddin said: “We’ll be able to finalise the rules in the next one month."

First week of August is being observed as world breastfeeding week every year.

The health minister said they had adopted programmes for the whole week to raise awareness on breastfeeding.

World Health Organisation suggests only breastfeeding for children below six months and home-made food for those below two years.

The exclusive breastfeeding rate is 64 percent in Bangladesh.

But baby food advertisement is so unregulated that often it shows a school boy rushing to a doctor’s chamber for something that can increase his height as he faces constant taunts from his peers for his short height.

Then the advertisement goes on to show the doctor immediately prescribing him a food supplement.

The new law does not cover school going children, but it restricts advertisement targeting children less than 5 years of age.

Bangladesh is home to the world’s one of the most malnourished children with nearly half of its under-5 children being underweight and too short for their age.

According to the new law, there will be no advertisement for baby foods, commercially produced supplementary baby foods and imports of its tools and no one can be engaged in these activities.

It says the baby food-producing or importing companies cannot use health service or medicine selling centres for its promotion and advertising.

The health minister urged support from all for its implementation. “People know tobacco kills, but still they smoke. Everyone needs to be aware of the benefits of breastfeeding”.

The minister said they had taken new programmes this year to make the campaign “successful”.

Discussions on the importance of breastfeeding were being organised at all community clinics located mostly at remote villages.

Apart from the media campaign, short messages will be sent to mobile phones.

The minister said they had requested all medical colleges to take an hour special class on breastfeeding.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will attend the national programme of the week on Wednesday.