"Exclusive breastfeeding is an excellent source of nutritional intake for newborns," she remarked when contacted here on Saturday.
Hence, support for a mother to provide exclusive breastfeeding for six months is very important, she added.
"In this regard, I really welcome the agreement on the Draft Law (RUU) on Maternal and Child Welfare (KIA) to be an initiative of the House of Representatives (DPR) to be discussed with the government," she said.
She said the rules contained in the bill accommodate the welfare of mothers and children.
"This bill also accommodates many things, especially accommodating efforts to fulfill exclusive breastfeeding for Indonesian children," she added.
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In Article 4 paragraph (2) letter a of the bill, there is a provision for six-month maternity leave for mothers after giving birth, she said.
The proposed extension of the maternity leave period in the bill is closely related to the push for enabling exclusive breastfeeding, Pane added.
"A mother who has just given birth will have enough time to give exclusive breastfeeding. This, of course, also has a correlation with efforts to reduce the prevalence of stunting because breastfeeding is one of the efforts to prevent stunting," she said.
However, she also reminded that there are many other measures that can be taken to reduce stunting prevalence.
"Regarding the prevalence of stunting, there are quite a lot of other variables that can affect it, such as anemia in pregnant women and so on," she pointed out.
Hence, raising awareness and educating the public regarding efforts to prevent stunting must continue to be intensified, she added.
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Translator: Katriana
Editor: Suharto
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