| Hakim Hayat |
BRUNEI Darussalam’s new scheme to provide free diapers and breast pumps for newborns, a practice prevalent in many developed countries, will not only ease the financial burden of parents but also ensure the new-borns are well taken care of, YB Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Zulkarnain bin Haji Hanafi, the Minister of Health, said yesterday.
The minister was responding to comments that went viral on social media recently that questioned the rationale of giving free diapers and breast pumps to families who can afford them, during a press conference held at the Legislative Council (LegCo) building yesterday.
He said that research conducted before this scheme was announced has found that in many developed countries child benefits are given to all, irrespective of their income bracket, because the governments there realised the need to give the children the best opportunities in life and to ensure that their welfare, nutrition and health are all cared for.
The reasoning behind giving away breast pumps, the minister said is because of the proven research done on breast feeding.
“Exclusive breast feeding gives a host of benefits to a baby in terms of development, immunity from infections and others.. for the mother it is also beneficial and will help them in terms of going back to their normal weight and in maintaining the bond between their babies which is very important,” he said, adding that this will also help alleviate costs of buying baby foods which can be very expensive.
YB Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Zulkarnain bin Haji Hanafi, the Minister of Health. – AZROL AZMI
The objective of the scheme is also for the betterment of the society as a whole, said the minister, who underlined that if the child’s health is being well taken care of from early stages, it will guarantee better health in future, by reducing the chances of contracting chronic diseases and even obesity. “Of course it all depends on how they are being brought up, but this will help ease the burden to the society, the government and the country… which is why the government comes in to help…” he added.
The issue on the provision of diapers to all newborns was also brought up at the 13th LegCo session yesterday, and responding to it, the minister said some of the comments on social media questioning the scheme are welcome, but said that “at the end of the day, we have to move on. It depends on an individual… if some people feel responsible enough and decide not to take them, they may give it away to those who need it more…these are the kind of citizens we want..” he added.
The minister said they are still in the process of working out the distribution method for the new scheme which will be implemented from April 1 throughout all hospitals in the country. “Perhaps what we can do is to create a system whereby we can allow people not to take it if they feel that they can afford it,” he said.
He explained that the scheme was introduced for a good reason and doesn’t come from the Ministry of Health’s budget, as scrutinised by the public, but rather from revenue that will be generated from the revised import tax and excise duties that will come into force next month.
“With the new tax amendments, now there will be more tax on food and beverages with high sugar and sodium content and these revenues will be provisioned for the scheme,” he said.
The minister added that Brunei records an average 5,000 births per year, noting that these numbers mean that the amount spent on this scheme is negligible.
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