Union Government launches nation-wide programme MAA for promoting breastfeeding

Union Health Minister J P Nadda on 5 August 2016 launched a nation-wide programme MAA - Mothers’ Absolute Affection for promoting breastfeeding.

The goal of the programme is to enhance optimal breastfeeding practices.

About the programme

• MAA is an intensified programme of the Health Ministry for creating an enabling environment to ensure that mothers, husbands and families receive adequate information and support for promotion of breastfeeding.

• The Ministry has allocated 30 crore rupees for the Programme and 4.3 lakh rupees for each district will be allotted for implementing the various activities under MAA programme.

• The chief components of the MAA Programme are Community awareness generation, Strengthening inter personal communication through ASHA, Skilled support for breastfeeding at Delivery points in Public health facilities, and Monitoring and Award/recognition.

Benefits of Breastfeeding

• The practice of breastfeeding enhances immunity level in the child which will help reduce the child mortality rate.

• Breastfeeding is one of the important interventions for child survival.

• Around 20 percent newborn deaths and 13 percent under-five deaths can be prevented by breastfeeding.

• Besides this, breastfeeding can prevent child deaths associated with Diarrhoea and Pneumonia.

• Infants who are not breastfed are 15 times more likely to die from pneumonia and 11 times more to die from diarrhea than children who are exclusively breastfed.

• Breastfed infant also have higher intelligence quotient.

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