• Home

Two-hour nursing break for MoH women staff

DUBAI — Starting 2008, the Ministry of Health (MoH) plans to give a two-hour ‘nursing break’ to all its women employees during their working hours, a senior health official said yesterday.

Dr Mariam Mattar, assistant under-secretary for Public Health and Primary Healthcare at the MoH, said that a suggestion for this was put forward during the first regional two-day conference on human lactation under the theme ‘Breast-feeding for Healthier Generations’, that was held in Al Baraha Hospital in Dubai last month.

“Already, as per the labour law, nursing mothers are allowed a one-hour break, but we have suggested to increase it to two hours,” she said.

The conference was organised by the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), Geneva Infant Feeding Association (GIFA) and World Health Organisation (WHO).

“The need is to evaluate and change the current practices in the country to promote and protect breast-feeding in the region,” Dr Mattar added.

The conference had attracted around 500 participants from 17 countries.

The inaugural session lectures and three workshops focused on the new World Health Organisation (WHO) growth standards, skin-to-skin contact between mother and child upon birth, and maternity protection.