FDA, GHS call for national legislation to protect breastfeeding working parents

In order to protect working parents’ rights to breastfeeding, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) have urged for the adoption of national law.

According to the two organizations, the proposed legislation should give nursing working parents complete leave, flexible work schedules, and breastfeeding leave.

In a joint statement to commemorate nursing Week in 2023, the FDA and the GHS expressed worry that many working parents still found it challenging to continue exclusive nursing for the advised six months, despite the health advantages of doing so.

Many working moms reportedly continued to breastfeed their children for up to two years or longer.

According to the declaration, nursing is a fundamental right of every child and is crucial to their survival and development.

It urged companies to support and create breastfeeding-friendly workplaces with secure areas, sanitary amenities, and space to store breast milk.

“Long working hours, limited maternity leave, inadequate breastfeeding leave and the stigma surrounding breastfeeding in the workplace are some of the barriers preventing parents from providing nutrition, optimal for their infants,” the statement said.

It urged all parties, including governments, companies, civil society, and community organizations, to collaborate in order to remove these obstacles and establish an atmosphere that encourages breastfeeding for parents who are also working.

Enabling Breastfeeding: Making a Difference for Working Parents is the subject of the 2023 World Breastfeeding Week.

The week-long awareness-raising effort emphasizes the significance of developing a welcoming atmosphere that enables working parents to continue nursing without having an impact on their jobs.