Press Release

BREAST IS STILL THE BEST

Breast milk is the perfect food for babies. It contains antibodies that help fight infection and decrease allergies. It has the perfect amount of nutrients and is easily digested. It’s cheap and readily available at the right temperature ALL the time. It helps with bonding and development. It decreases the chances of having diarrhoea, pneumonia and ear infection. It can also protect mother’s health by reducing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, post-partum depression and helps lose weight quickly.

The initial attachment to breast is to be done within the first hour of life with mother and baby having skin to skin contact. This will increase bonding while allowing baby to get warm and cozy.

In the first few days mothers produce liquid gold called Colostrum. This milk is rich in antibodies and white cells that help protect against infection and allergies. It acts as a purgative that helps clear meconium and prevent skin to turn yellow. It also has growth factors that help intestine to mature, prevent allergies and intolerance.

Thereafter, there is a transition into mature milk which has 2 components – fore milk and hind milk. The foremilk is lighter in colour and has more water content to quench baby’s thirst. The hind milk is dark white or yellow in colour and has more fat to help with baby’s growth.

It is recommended that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life. This means that the only thing baby needs is breast milk alone; there is no need to give water, sugar water, fruit juice or anything else to supplement breast milk.

National advisor dietetics and nutrition Mrs Jiutajia Tikoitoga addressing the participants at the CWM Hospital

As part of the National Breastfeeding Week, the CWM Hospital launched a three day training workshop for the medical staff to upskill their knowledge on breast feeding.

During the workshop the nurses, doctors and midwives will be further trained .This will help them improve service delivery and create more awareness for mothers on the benefits of breastfeeding.

While launching breastfeeding week, the National Advisor on Dietetics and Nutrition Mrs Juitajia Tikoitoga strongly mentioned that the baby must be given the utmost care and it should never be compromised.

“We cannot deny the baby what is rightfully theirs and in this case breast milk is the best for the them therefore we don’t have the right to take this away from them”, said Mrs Tikoitoga.

When babies are breastfed, no other nutrients are required to supplement their diet as it contains all the ingredients for the healthy growth of the baby.

The training of the medical staff will conclude on Friday, with an oratory contest and the presentation of certificates to the participants.

Meanwhile The Ministry of Health has been encouraging mothers to breastfeed their babies as there is no equivalent substitute to breastfeeding.

First Fiji Albinism Awareness Symposium

Minister for health and medical services Mr Jone Usamate with Margot Whitfeld (second from left) and other participants at the symposium.

The Hon. Minister for Health & MedicalServices Mr Jone Usamate officially opened the first Fiji Albinism Awareness Symposium at the Holiday Inn in Suva.

This 2 day seminar was about promoting albinism awareness and education, and will enable more people to learn about the health components of albinism. It will also enable relevant authorities to support people with albinism so that they can lead full and supported lives.

Albinism is a rare genetic disorder that causes the skin, hair, or eyes to have little or no colour. People with albinism are at risk of developing skin cancer and have low vision problems.

One of the objectives of this program is to establish qualitative data on the numbers of people with albinism in Fiji, to identify the exact numbers and the demographic distribution of this condition. This will help the Health Ministry and the Ministry of Education to direct the correct resources to meet the needs of the people with albinism. Much needed awareness will also be raised particularly around skin, health and low vision support.

“Inclusion of all people is one of the basic philosophies of the Fiji Government and this symposium was planned by the Fiji Albinism Project steering committee based at Mataika House”, said Mr Usamate.

The group discussions on the second day of the symposium will enable participants to come up with new ideas from a multi-sectorial point of view, with ways to support people with albinism, for review and analysis by the Fiji Government.

Mr Usamate added that this will have the potential to dramatically improve the health, education and quality of life of those important members of our community with albinism.

This program is supported The Australian College of Dermatologists, Australian Private Sector Donors, St Vincents Hospital Sydney and the Pulse Programme GSK

 Health: Rheumatic Heart Disease is preventable  

The Hon. Minister for Health & Medical Services Mr Jone Usamate said that while recent research has shown that Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) is a common cause of death in the pacific, it is preventable through early diagnosis and targeted interventions.

This was revealed today at the launch of the next phase of the RHD Prevention and Control Programme at Novotel, Lami.

“Rheumatic Heart Disease is a common heart condition in Fiji. RHD causes significant morbidity, disability and mortality through childhood and into early adulthood. Recent research has shown that RHD is the most common cause of death for men aged in their 30-40s in Fiji, with death rates also high for teenagers”, said Mr Usamate.

Rheumatic Heart Diseases is caused by streptococcal throat infection which leads to rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is an illness commonly seen in children and young adults in Fiji that can lead to heart valve damage.

The Ministry of Health & Medical Services has recently formalized its relationship with Cure Kids New Zealand as partners and co-founders on the next phase of the $5m RHD Control and Prevention Programme for Fiji.

Some of the key elements of the project to be undertaken over the next three years include training of health workers to identify and manage sore throats and skin infections, identify and manage ARF and RHD cases, capture key RHD data, integration with existing health information systems, and cost-effective low-tech interventions such as strengthening primary care treatment of sore throat and skin sores.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand Partnerships for International Development Fund is a major contributor to the Programme along with the technical support provided the by international RHD experts from the Centre for International Child Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Australia and the Auckland District Health Board, New Zealand.

MINISTER IMPRESSED WITH TISI SANGAM NURSING SCHOOL

The Minister for Health and Medical Services Hon. Jone Usamate today visited the TISI Sangam School of Nursing and acknowledged the partnership between the school and government in terms of educating more nurses for the country.

“I am impressed with the midwifery models and the capabilities of this school to cater for more nurses for our country,” Minister Usamate said.

Minister Usamate said the institution’s midwifery models allowed students to understand working with real life situations.

“It is very good, the school intends to raise the competency of these student nurses as they are experimenting on models.”

The Health Minister also acknowledged the school for investing in the training of nurses.

“The organisation’s investment will have a positive impact on the people, and when the students graduate they are already well versed with their profession.”

Mr Usamate said he looked forward to more partnership with the school in producing more and better nurses for Fiji.

Mr Usamate added that in the next five years the Ministry will work on increasing the number of nurses in Fiji.

“But with this we must have quality staff who know what their work is and are passionate about the work they do,” Usamate added.