PESHAWAR: Pediatricians during an advocacy seminar here on Monday demanded strict legislation to ensure breastfeeding and protection of nutrition of the infants in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa here at an advocacy seminar.

They also called for the effective checking of negative propaganda on infant feeding by manufacturers of formula milk declaring it murder of infants.

Addressing participants, honourary chairperson of the HELP Professor Durre Samin Akram, whose organisation works on mother and child health, said breastfed baby was the best fed baby.

She said her organisation was working with the Research and Advocacy Fund organisation to improve mother and child health in the country.

`We`re striving to reduce newborn deaths and enhance skills of health workers on nutrition and lactating management. we`re also helping the provincial governments prepare bills and formulate rules and regulations for promotion of breastfee ding and infant nutrition, she said.Child Rights Protection Committee (CRPC) chairman Dr Tufail Mohammad said Pakistan despite agreeing to abide by the International Code on Infant Nutrition and Breastfeeding in 1981 had failed to legislate on the subject.

He said according to a Gallup Survey report, a large number of Pakistani women were advised by doctors to give formula milk to infants under six months of age and shockingly, around 85 per cent of such mothers belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Dr Tufail said more than 30 formula milk companies operated in the country and 12 of them were very active.

`Until March, 2014, this industry generated Rs9.4 billion profit,` he said. The CRPC chairman called for legislation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to make healthcare system free from formula milk manufacturing industry.

Paediatrician Professor Abdul Hameed said it was time to educate mothers that breastfeeding was the best for infants.

He said infants, who were not breastfed, suffered from diseases due to contamination of feeding bottles and unhygienic ways formula milk was used.

The paediatrician said formula milk was a major cause of high deaths among newborns.

`Some vested interests create suspicion in the minds of mothers about breastfeeding. Unfortunately many doctors, too, misguide themand advise them to opt for formula milk,` he said.

Pediatrician Dr Mehr Taj Roghani, who is the special assistant to the chief minister, said the infants` health suffered due to feeding by bottle.

`The formula milk is given to infants in such an unhygienic way that it adversely affects poor health of infants. The formula milk could never be the substitute of mother`s milk,` she said.

Dr Mehr said a bill to make breastfeeding compulsory for the first six months of infants and propose punishment for those recommending formula milk would be tabled in the provincial assemblysoon.

Provincial health minister Shahram Khan, who was also in attendance, said the government was not against any manufacturing industry but it was very clear on distinguishing bad from good.

`The bill to promote breastfeeding will see the light of the day shortly. We hope it will have a smooth sailing in the assembly,` he said.

HELP project coordinator Dr Maroof Imam said some media campaigns, direct promotion of formula milk and distribution of its free samples clearly violated the Protection of the Breastfeeding and Child Nutrition Ordinance.