The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Students, doctors in walk to promote breastfeeding

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 07, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Students, doctors in walk to promote breastfeeding

Staff Reporter

Event flagged off at Marina beach around 7 a.m.

WALK FOR A CAUSE: Participants at the walkathon flagged off by Director General of Police D. Mukherjee in Chennai on Sunday. - PHOTO: K.V. SRINIVASAN

CHENNAI: Scores of students and doctors from medical colleges, hospitals and non-medical institutions participated in a walk organised in support of breastfeeding on Sunday, as part of the World Breastfeeding Week celebrations.

The walk was organised to create awareness on the international code against marketing of breast milk substitutes. The participants were supported by Guna Singh, president and K. Nagaraju, secretary, Indian Academy of Paediatrics, Chennai branch; Jayam Kannan, convenor, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India; J. Kumuda, secretary and Githa, president, National Neonatologists Forum; and members of the Lions Club.

The event was flagged off at Marina beach around 7 a.m. by D. Mukherjee, Director General of Police. The Academy members distributed pamphlets to mothers at the outpatient departments in hospitals.

Dr. Guna Singh said: "The practice of breastfeeding has declined due to unethical means used by promoters favouring baby foods. The Government of India enacted the IMS (Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act in 1992 and amended it in 2003. We need to make people aware about [the Act's] existence. It is the duty of every citizen to report any violation to the appropriate authority."

Baby care brand Parachute Sparsh sponsored the walk.

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