2023-05-31 16:47:19
Quito, May 31, 2023
The Ministry of Public Health (MSP) held an academic event at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador to commemorate World Human Milk Donation Day and World Day for the Protection of Breastfeeding. This space allowed us to reflect on the necessary strategies to safeguard and promote breastfeeding, a vital act for the health and well-being of children in the country.
Katherine Silva, UNICEF Health Officer in Ecuador, presented the results of a study on the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (CICSLM). The study revealed that, despite the progress made, many companies do not permanently comply with the recommendations of the code, however, it highlighted that in public establishments there is greater knowledge and respect for this international instrument.
The researcher and teacher María José Mendoza-Gordillo presented the results of her research “Breastfeeding and work in health professionals”, which revealed the obstacles that mothers face in workplaces to practice breastfeeding. For her part, Betzabé Tello, teacher and researcher, presented the study “Breastfeeding as an act of Food Sovereignty”, which consists of the formation of a network between agroecological producers and women donors of human milk as an innovative project within the framework of the food sovereignty.
Gabriela Caicedo, specialist in Nutrition, Safety and Food Sovereignty of the MSP, presented the strategies to protect breastfeeding, including the certification of Breastfeeding Support Rooms, Breastfeeding-Friendly Spaces and Breastfeeding Support Groups made up of 1,505 first-level establishments and 97 second-level establishments.
In addition, testimonials from mothers who donated breast milk and nursing staff from the Milk Banks were shared, who narrated moving stories of newborns who benefit from these donations. The stories highlighted the importance of donating breast milk as a generous act for children.
Andrés Viteri, Undersecretary of the Rectory of the National Health System, thanked the host for the event and reaffirmed the MSP’s commitment to protecting breastfeeding and promoting the donation of human milk. “These initiatives are essential to guarantee the right of children to adequate nutrition and contribute to their health and development.”
The event concluded with the delivery of diplomas to the participants of the Advanced Course on Good Practices in Breastfeeding, an initiative of the MSP with the Pontifical Catholic University and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The delivery was in charge of Andrés Viteri together with Andrea Bersosa, Undersecretary of Promotion, Intercultural Health and Equality; Yadira Morejón, National Director of Nutrition; Ivonne Martínez, National Director of Quality, Patient Safety and Health Control; and Katherine Silva, UNICEF Ecuador Health Officer.
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