Health and Family Welfare Adviser Noorjahan Begum has called for the establishment of day care centers in all government and private institutions to promote breastfeeding and support working mothers.
She made the appeal while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of World Breastfeeding Week-2025, held at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka on Monday morning.
Expressing concern over the declining rate of breastfeeding in the country, she stressed the urgent need for a comprehensive action plan by next year.
“A nationwide initiative is essential to increase breastfeeding rates,” she said. “If every institution has a day care center, working mothers will be able to keep their children with them, making it possible to ensure breastfeeding for up to two years.”
The adviser highlighted the importance of feeding colostrum, the first milk, to newborns within the first hour of birth, and reiterated that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months. However, she acknowledged the growing challenges faced by mothers in both urban and rural areas, particularly those balancing professional responsibilities.
Speaking at the event, Health Services Division Secretary Md Sayedur Rahman pointed out the gap between policy and implementation. “There was recently a demand to set up breastfeeding centers in every office – but in reality, that hasn’t happened,” he said.
He noted that currently, there is only one day care center in the entire Secretariat, which is insufficient to serve the needs of all employees. “To ensure the well-being of working women and their children, it is essential to establish day care and breastfeeding facilities in every institution,” he emphasised.
The call comes amid growing recognition of the health, economic, and social benefits of supporting nursing mothers in the workplace.
With coordinated efforts from both public and private sectors, Bangladesh could take a significant step toward healthier infants and empowered working mothers.