Government has proposed the need for both private and public sectors to have special places for breastfeeding mothers to breastfeed their children.

Minister responsible for Health Khumbize Chiponda made the proposal in Lilongwe during the launch of this year`s World Breastfeeding Week slated for first week of August.

“As a community we need to support each other, in a family the husband has to support the wife so we are saying even on our workplace; private and public sectors these breastfeeding mothers need ,to be supported,” said Chiponda.

According to Chiponda, mothers need to be encouraged to breastfeed their children exclusively in the first six months for a good health of the child.

“Let us create space for the mothers who are working in our companies so that they are given time to breastfeed their children because that space if you lose it, it can cause more harm than good,” she said.

Speaking during the launch, Country Director for USAID-funded Health Policy Plus Project Olive Mtema said her organisation is committed in supporting government towards promoting breastfeeding among women.

“As of late we have seen that with modernization, the younger women tend not to breastfeed exclusively so we really want be foster breastfeeding culture among the younger women.

“We are working with government supporting the Department of Nutrition to train hospitals to become baby friendly so that they are able to promote breastfeeding among women,” said Mtema.

This year’s breastfeeding week is being commemorated under the theme: “Protect breast-feeding as a shared responsibility”.