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PUBLICA HEALTH

Law 26.873

Breastfeeding. Promotion and Public awareness.

Sanctioned: July 3, 2013

Cast: August 5, 2013



ARTICLE 1 — Object. The purpose of this Act is to promote and raise public awareness of the importance of breastfeeding and of safe nutrition best practices for infants and children up to two (2) years.

ARTICLE 2 — Alcances. For the purposes of this Act, the following actions are included in public breastfeeding policies:

(a) Promotion of exclusive breastfeeding and best feeding practices in children up to the age of six (6) months;

(b) Promotion of continuous breastfeeding and timely supplementary feeding for children up to two (2) years of life;

(c) Dissemination and accessibility of information for the purpose of public awareness, especially of pregnant women;

(d) Promotion and support for the establishment of breastfeeding centres and breast milk banks.

ARTICLE 3o — Implementing authority. The authority to implement this law is the Ministry of Health of the Nation, which must coordinate its implementation with the authorities of the provinces and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.


ARTICLE 4o — Identification of objectives. As part of the promotion and public awareness of breastfeeding, the objectives of this Act are:

(a) To promote the practice of breastfeeding as set out in this Act;

(b) Promote actions and make recommendations in the State, private and social security subsectors regarding the appropriate conditions of breastfeeding and encourage, where appropriate, their incorporation;

(c) To report on the importance of the adequate nutritional status of women of fertile age and especially since pregnancy, and to promote their nutritional support up to twenty-four (24) months of their children ' s life;

(d) To disseminate the importance of the benefits of breastfeeding through campaigns and by all means that govern the implementation authority;

(e) To raise awareness and train the general population, health workers, social promoters and parents in particular about the benefits and benefits of breastfeeding and the proper use of substitute and complementary foods;

(f) Promote the training of health teams to recommend breastfeeding in accordance with the scope of this Act;

(g) Develop research projects that promote safe nutrition practices for pregnant and nursing mothers and for children up to two (2) years of age;

(h) To disseminate interdisciplinary research and studies on child feeding, breastfeeding and sociocultural, legal and economic factors involved in it;

(i) Promote the creation and development of breastfeeding centres whose role will be to collect, conserve and administer breastfeeding to the child;

(j) Promote the creation and development of breast milk banks whose role will be to collect, process, conserve and distribute it;

(k) Promote the provision of breast milk to infants when specific circumstances so require;

(l) Encourage voluntary and free donation of breast milk to provide existing breast milk banks and to be established;

(m) Promote the provision of adequate substitute and complementary breast milk foods to infants up to two (2) years of age, as determined by the regulations;

(n) To disseminate the International Code of Maternity Milk Substitutes, as set out in the Argentine Food Code, Act No. 18,284 and its supplementary rules;

(o) To promote the adherence of hospitals and primary health-care centres to the “Friendly Mother and Child Hospital” programmes proposed by
the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children ' s Fund (UNICEF) to the “Friendly Health Centre for Mothers and Children” created by the Ministry of Health of the Nation and established by the sanction of this Act;

(p) Relevant and update indicators, official statistics and epidemiological studies related to this Act;

(q) To sign management agreements with different jurisdictions in order to establish procedures, strategies and targets for meeting the objectives under this Act;

(r) Coordinate the necessary actions with representatives of public and private institutions, non-governmental organizations, laboratories, companies linked to the feeding of infants and associations of health professionals, in order to promote the appropriate conditions for the implementation of the objectives of this Act;

(s) Promote the necessary regulations for the protection of breastfeeding working mothers;

(t) Promoting the establishment of lactees in workplaces;

(u) Promote the necessary legislation on the creation, operation, control and quality standards of breast milk banks.


ARTICLE 5o — Financing. Expenditures for compliance with this Act must be met with the provisions for which the General Budget of the Public Administration for the Ministry of Health of the Nation, or with the impact of the budgetary provision of the items that the Executive branch may re-assign to enter into force during the current period.


ARTICLE 6o — Coordination. The enforcement authority, together with the National Commission for Nutrition and Food, should promote, within the framework of the Federal Health Council (COFESA), the implementation of this law in the provinces and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, and should coordinate its integration with existing programmes.


ARTICLE 7o — Regulation. The Executive Power must regulate this law within 90 days of its promulgation.

ARTICLE 8° — Contact the national executive branch.

THE THREE DAYS OF THE JULY OF THE YEAR DOS MIL TRECE.


LOVE BOUDOU. - JULIAN A. DOMINGUEZ. - Gervasio Bozzano. — Juan H. Estrada.