Hospitals need to promote breastfeeding, not formula

Out of approximately 22 million babies born in India each year, less than 10 million are breastfed within the first critical hour of life.

- Arun Gupta

That leaves over 12 million missing out on the immediate benefits of breastfeeding that is proven to reduce the risk of infections, obesity, and non-communicable diseases later in life. This is both shocking and unacceptable, especially in a country still struggling with newborn infections and mortality. This raises the question: Why can't our hospitals be breastfeeding-friendly?

A former representative of a major formula company says distributors are offered a volume bonus and doctors and nursing staff cash incentives for recommending infant formula. Even monthly "honorariums" to doctors are not unheard of. And, apart from this, there are, of course, other ways to incentivize medical practitioners.

This troubling revelation could perhaps explain why so many hospitals are failing to prioritize breastfeeding. Evidence indicates that if the health system is weak on breastfeeding counseling, and health workers lack skills to support breastfeeding, it leads to replacement by formula even when the mother wasn't initially keen. Heavily discounted prices on formula make it easier.