TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
70% Pontianak newborns get breast milk for six months: Official
The exclusive breastfeeding campaign has shown good results in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, with the latest data recording 70 percent of newborns receiving only breast milk (ASI) for the first six months of life, an official said during an ASI event.
Change Size
Breast milk: Families participate in Breastfeeding Week in Pontianak, West Kalimantan on Sept. 4. The Pontianak administration says 70 percent of newborns in the city receive only breast milk for the first six months of life. (JP/Severianus Endi)
T
he exclusive breastfeeding campaign has shown good results in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, with the latest data recording 70 percent of newborns receiving only breast milk (ASI) for the first six months of life, an official said during an ASI Week event.
Pontianak’s Health Agency head, Sidiq Handanu, told The Jakarta Post, the city had about 12,000 live births per year, and he claimed all the newborns had received health services and were tracked by the government from the first weeks of pregnancy through integrated health posts (posyandu) and community health centers (puskesmas).
He said of the 12,000 babies, 70 percent were exclusively breastfed for six months, according to records from his subordinates, who he said closely monitored the babies.
“Our health workers in posyandu and puskesmas have learned about the importance of ASI for the first six months of life, and for up two years with solid food,” Sidiq said.
The Pontianak administration has also cooperated with Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI), or Indonesia’s World Vision, to recruit health members.
WVI project manager, Yosellina, said in addition to Pontianak, WVI also helped Sambas regency administration, about six hours by land from Pontianak.
“In cities like Pontianak, the obstacle to giving breast milk is mothers' working hours, so the administration needs to support them by providing lactation rooms in offices,” Yosellina said. “In rural areas, the obstacles are myths and a lack of knowledge about the importance of breast milk.” (evi)
