MULTAN:The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative was formally launched in South Punjab under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s International Emergency Fund (UNICEF) here on Friday.
Launching ceremony was held at Hayat Zafar Auditorium, Nishtar Medical University (NMU) wherein Advisor to CM Punjab on Health, Hanif Pitafi as the chief guest.
Among others NMU VC, Dr Rana Altaf Ahmad, Additional Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education South Punjab, Amjad Shoaib Tareen, Additional Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare South Punjab Qamar Zaman Qaisarani, Secretary Planning and Development South Punjab Shoaib Iqbal Syed, Director General Health Services Punjab Dr Haroon Jahangir, Communications. Officer DG Health Punjab Mirza Muneeb, in-charge Department of Gynecology NMU Dr. Mehnaz Khakwani, Dr. Shahid Irshad Rao, Dr. Azam Khan were in attendance.
The UNICEF was represented by Inoussa Kabore, Deputy Representative for Punjab.
Under the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, training of master trainers will be arranged at Nishtar Hospital Multan which will later train medical staff at tehsil and district level and the purpose of this programme is to breastfeed children after motherhood.
Mr Hanif Pitafi in his address thanked Prime Minister, Imran Khan, Punjab CM, Usman Buzdar and the Provincial Health Minister, Dr Yasmin Rashid for their revolutionary initiatives in the field of health. He also distributed shields among the speakers and organizers at the end of the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Hanif Pitafi visited Health secretariat South Punjab and met Secretary P&SHC, Tanvir Iqbal who briefed him about the various projects in the region.
He also went to Drug Testing laboratory and had briefing on it.