The Oyo State Government has appealed to corporate bodies and the private sector to emulate the initiative of the State Government in extending maternal leave by six months to working mothers.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bode Ladipo made this appeal in a briefing to commemorate this year’s World Breastfeeding Week with the theme, “Step Up for Breastfeeding: Educate and Support”, which was organized by the State Primary Health Care Board.

This initiative of extending the maternal leave of working mothers is said to be in line with International best practices on exclusive breastfeeding and to promote healthy living for working mothers and their babies.

The Commissioner who was represented by the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Muyideen Olatunji, explained that efforts were in top gear to improve under five nutritional status in the State by ensuring that all actors support exclusive breastfeeding practices so as to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 1-6.

In line with this year’s theme, the commissioner for health stressed that the state government would re-dedicate itself to prioritizing breastfeeding friendly environment for mothers and babies by ensuring full implementation of international code for marketing of breast milk substitutes, ensuring employers allow women the time and space they needed to breastfeed, amongst other measures.

The world breastfeeding week celebration is an annual event to create awareness, promote, protect and support the process of exclusive breastfeeding practices for a period of six months, to reduce the surge in the infant mortality rate.

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