KARACHI: Only about 20% of newborns in Pakistan are breastfed within the first hour of life, while inadequate support from families, health facilities, workplaces and communities is leaving many infants without the protective benefits of breast milk, health experts said Tuesday.
The lack of adequate breastfeeding contributes to an estimated 33,700 child deaths in Pakistan each year, with diarrhea and pneumonia among the leading preventable causes, according to data presented at a media awareness workshop.
The figures were shared at a workshop organized by the Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology, or SICHN, in collaboration with UNICEF and the Sindh Health Department at the Karachi Press Club to mark World Breastfeeding Week 2026.
Prof Syed Jamal Raza, executive director of SICHN, said breastfeeding should not be viewed as the sole responsibility of mothers and called for greater practical support from fathers, grandparents, health workers, employers, community leaders and policymakers.
He said infants younger than 6 months who were not breastfed faced an estimated 15 times greater risk of death than exclusively breastfed infants, while partially breastfed infants faced about three times the risk.
According to National Nutrition Survey and UNICEF country-profile data cited during the workshop, only 48% of Pakistani infants under 6 months are exclusively breastfed.
Raza said the proportion of children under 2 who were bottle-fed had increased from 32% in 2006-07 to 41% in 2012-13 and 48% in 2024, based on pooled regional data presented at the workshop.
He warned that bottle-feeding could expose infants to contamination and infections where safe water and proper hygiene were not available.
Raza’s presentation estimated that low breastfeeding rates were associated with annual economic losses of about $2.8 billion in Pakistan, while spending on breast milk substitutes exceeded $888 million annually.
Increasing exclusive breastfeeding from about 48% to 60%-70% could prevent an estimated 7,600 to 14,100 child deaths each year and avert between 1.5 million and 2.8 million cases of diarrhea annually, according to the presentation.
Raza said newborns should be breastfed within the first hour after birth and receive only breast milk during their first six months, without water, formula or other foods unless medically indicated. Breastfeeding should continue until age 2 or beyond alongside appropriate complementary foods, he said.
Dr Muhammad Khalid Shafi briefed participants on the Sindh Protection and Promotion of Breastfeeding and Young Child Nutrition Act, 2023, saying the law seeks to protect breastfeeding and regulate the promotion of designated breast milk substitutes.
Prof Dr Halima Yasmeen, chairperson of obstetrics and gynecology at JPMC/JSMU, said women needed counseling before and after childbirth as well as support from families and employers.
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Prem Bahadur Chand, UNICEF’s chief of field office for Sindh, said misinformation, social pressure and inadequate support systems often prevent mothers from breastfeeding optimally.
