• Geetha mulls options while deploying midwives to ensure breastfeeding, MOH-based early breast cancer detection 

The State Ministry of Women and Child Affairs is currently exploring the possibility of extending the existing maternity leave duration for females, The Daily Morning learns.

According to State Minister of Women and Child Affairs Geetha Kumarasinghe, the matter is being considered as part of a proposed programme involving midwives and other related institutions to ensure that children of the relevant age are breastfed and for the early detection of breast cancers.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, she highlighted the importance of breastfeeding in ensuring proper nutrition for children, adding that nowadays, many mothers neglect breastfeeding their children due to busy lifestyles. She also mentioned that in addition to the decrease in the nutritional level of children due to the lack of breast milk, children are at risk of being exposed to various diseases due to the consumption of various imported milk powders. 

“I am not saying that mothers are deliberately neglecting to breastfeed their children, but, they miss it due to their busy lifestyles. This is a situation that everyone needs to pay special attention to. Therefore, we have planned to deploy midwives to ensure that children of the relevant age are breastfed. We are also looking into the possibility of extending the period currently given as maternity leave for females,” she elaborated.

Kumarasinghe also said that a significant number of females are currently suffering from breast cancer with some losing their lives. She added that early detection of breast cancer has the potential to save many of these lives. Therefore, she said that a special awareness programme about the detection of breast cancer is to be launched through the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) Offices islandwide. “We hope to start this programme by the end of this year (2023). A special programme will also be prepared to refer patients diagnosed in this way for timely treatment.”

Meanwhile, calling on the Government to prepare a programme to bear the sum of Rs. 6 billion that the private sector is required to spend on paying salaries for female employees on maternity leave during the relevant period, Samagi Jana Balawegaya Opposition Parliamentarian Eran Wickramaratne late last year (2022) said that the implementation of such a programme would undoubtedly increase the contribution of females to the country’s economic growth.