The government is keen to introduce breastfeeding allowance for those mothers who are not entitled to six months maternity leave despite not having any budget allocated in the 12th Five Year Plan.
At the meet the press session yesterday, the Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering said this will be a wise investment given the enormous health benefit it has to both mothers and the newborns.
However, mothers will also have to fulfil certain criteria such as ensuring 100 per cent antenatal check-up, hospital delivery and timely immunization of their newborns.
“The main reason why there are no 100 per cent antenatal coverage, institutional delivery and immunization is lack of money. Mothers need to work in the fields to earn bread. We are giving the money to earn the bread,” Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering said.
“If the mothers are paid the daily wage, their only job is to take care of the babies, breastfeed them, take the babies to the hospital for monthly check-ups, immunization and also antenatal check-ups.”
Without any budget allocated, the government is exploring ways to achieve the pledge.
“For the mothers who are not able to afford that you all should know the health consequences of the babies indirectly impacts the national budget anyways. So by introducing breastfeeding allowance, we are actually taking care of the problem from day one, as malnutrition or stunting is a problem in the country,” Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said.
Introducing breastfeeding allowance at par with the daily minimum wage rate for women in rural areas during initial months of childbirth has been one of the pledges of the government.
The foreign minister Dr Tandi Dorji said if introduced the initiative will also be in line with the government’s vision of narrowing the gap whereby mothers in rural areas would get to spend quality time with their newborns.
