The Enugu State Government has amended its Civil Service rules to grant six months maternity leave to nursing mothers.
While briefing journalists on the activities for the 2015 World Breastfeeding Week in Enugu yesterday, The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sam Ngwu, made a disclosure and said that the state government has amended the civil service rules to grant six months maternity leave for nursing mothers as against the initial three months. While it also granted three weeks paternity leave to husbands whose wives are under such leave to enable them support their nursing wives.
The policy, according to him is to strengthen mother and child welfare and to also encourage mothers to engage in the internationally recommended four to six months exclusive breastfeeding for newborn babies.
Similarly, the state government also resolved that henceforth, nursing mothers were free to breast-feed their babies in offices during work hours.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Moses Otiji, noted that the state was celebrates the week every year in order to galvanise support for nursing mothers to continuously breast feed their babies anywhere they are working whether in the private or public sector jobs.
The commissioner said this year’s them: “Breastfeeding and Work, let’s make it happen,” agreed with the state philosophy of supporting nursing mothers engage in exclusive breast feeding even while they work.
He said nursing mothers should be allowed to continuously breast feed their babies anywhere they work, whether in the private or public sector. According to him, lectures would be organised for nursing mothers in the course of the breast feeding week to enable them learn more about exclusive breast feeding.
“The week is dedicated to draw the attention of the public on the need for exclusive breast feeding. The breast contains yellow milk that contains most of the vital ingredients for healthy growth of the baby. It protects the baby from diseases and promotes bonding between mother and child,” he added.