With an aim to promote awareness on breast feeding and postpartum care, the Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited (BSV) a leading biopharmaceutical company in India, has collaborated with the Study on Female Breast Committee, Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI). The awareness will be spread through the Raising the Importance of Spreading Health Tips Through Academic (RISHTA) initiatives 2024.
The RISHTA initiative endeavours to foster a conducive and supportive ecosystem for breastfeeding by educating the paramedics on the health benefits of breastfeeding, while taking care of the emotional and mental wellbeing of the new mothers.
According to officials, there is two format of training which will be focused includes one program focuses on educating medical practitioners through “Train the Trainer” program and will run as a pilot in six cities in its first phase. “These sessions will be taken by experienced gynaecologists and the cities covered include New Delhi, Bareilly, Patna, Lucknow, Faridabad and Dehradun. The second program covers the Online Training for paramedics on techniques for breastfeeding and will be carried out in vernacular languages over seven webinars,” he said.
Dr Jaideep Tank, President, FOGSI said that in line with FOGSI’s strategy to enhance the quality of intrapartum and newborn care, they have laid a strong emphasis on the continuous training and skill development of healthcare professionals. Moreover with this collaboration they will continue to provide education and keep healthcare providers updated with the latest advancements and best practices for delivering superior newborn care.
“This initiative is a clear reflection of our commitment towards advancing maternal and neonatal health through excellence in medical education and safe motherhood practices. It is our endeavour to sensitise doctors, paramedical staff and the society about the importance of continued breastfeeding. However, some women are unable to breastfeed due to medical reasons. We aim at trying to help them to be able to breastfeed. Not to stigmatise women who are unable to breast feed,” he said.
Dr Charulata Bapaye, Chairperson of Study on Female Breast Committee, FOGSI said that the percentage of children who were fed breast milk exclusively in the first six months increased from 55 per cent to 64 per cent between 2015-16 and 2019-21, according to the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5; 2019-21). However, the National Family Health Survey 2019-21 (NFHS-5) points out that only four in 10 newborns are breastfed within the first hour of delivery, while two in three children are exclusively breastfed for the first six months.
“Breastmilk is rich in antibodies that helps build a strong immune system and lays the foundation for good health of a child. Through RISHTA we aim to reach out to medical practitioners and paramedics and share health tips on several topics including positions and latch techniques: advantage of the Golden hour for breastfeeding, addressing the mental health concerns of new mothers, while dispelling myths surrounding breastfeeding,” she said.
Alok Khettry, COO- India Business, BSV explained that such kind of initiative or campaign will be very helpful for spreading or which promotes the importance of breastfeeding for the well-being of both infants and mothers.
“We are confident that such collaborations will help us spread awareness on safe breastfeeding practices and early detection of breastfeeding complications while focusing on developing softer skills such as sensitive and empathetic communication while addressing breastfeeding concerns with new mothers. Together, let's inspire positive change for a brighter, healthier future,” he said.
