The Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Ibrahim Oloriegbe, says plans are on to review the National Health Act 2014, for better health coverage in the country.
Senator Oloriegbe says the National Health Insurance Authority Bill as well as the 6 months maternity leave bill has passed 3rd reading and presently before the house of representative for its concurrent list to be presented to Mr. President for assent.
Speaking during the Save The Children Nigeria, World breastfeeding week webinar, Tagged: Innovative Strategies for improving breast feeding and Nutrition in Nigeria, the lawmaker stressed that the legislature is working to ensure increased budgetary allocation for the health sector.
“As the Chairman Senate Committee on Health, my colleagues and i would make sure all this bills are signed into law, our focus is to reduce maternal and child mortality rate at all levels”
“Breast milk is a natural renewable resource and when children are exclusively breast feed, their brain becomes well developed to contribute to a better society, we all must champion this cause”.He said
Earlier, the wife of the Kaduna State Governor, Mrs Aisha El’rufai, expressed optimism that before the end of this year, the state would implement the bill for maternity leave.
“Kaduna State is at the forefront of this campaign, breast milk remains the best nutritional food for infants growth, every state governors wife must take the lead in this campaign until we achieve zero water for infants at early stage”
The Deputy Director Food System and Applied Nutrition NAFDAC, Mr Abdulsalami Ozigis, explained that the Agency has checked unethical practices that undermines breast feeding.
“We have been able to promulgate Act No 41 of 1990 on marketing of breast milk substitute and have been conducting several training and sensitization on this”
In his submission, the Advocacy Campaign and Policy Manager, Survive Program of Save The Children Nigeria, Mr Innocent Ifedilichukwu, who maintained that breast milk nutrition is a necessity for human development, called on Government as well as private organizations to establish a crèche within their firms to create opportunity for working class mothers to breastfeed their infants, while at work.
Mr Ifedilichukwu, added that Save The Children would continue to partner relevant agencies in advocating for the right of children to quality education, health care services and equal opportunity.
– Radio Nigeria
