DW BUREAU / MOHALI

A Complementary Feeding Day event was celebrated at AIMS Mohali, in collaboration with the local Indian Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Prabhjit Secretary of Sahibzada Academy of Pediatrics Mohali stated that the IAP celebrates Complementary Feeding Day on the sixth day of the sixth month to underscore the importance of initiating complementary feeding at the appropriate time.

This initiative aimed to address the significant gap in nutrition knowledge and practices in India and Punjab, where approximately 12% of infants aged 6-23 months receive the minimum acceptable diet. MBBS students, working in teams,named after the word "Nourish" in different languages tackled various clinical scenarios and collaborated with nutritionists to educate caregivers on appropriate complementary feeding practices.

The event was judged by esteemed experts, including Dr. Deepak Chawla, Professor and Head of Neonatology at GMCH 32, Dr. Sunny Narula, Consultant Pediatrician Motherhood Hospital, Dr. Sunil Aggarwal, Consultant Neonatologist Fortis, Dr Ashish DM ( PGI ) and Dr Amrit HOD Community Medicine and Dr Jasmine AP Pediatrics AIMS.

In addition the teams were also evaluated by Nutritionists Dr Sunita Malhotra Ex HOD PGI and Dr Poonam Additional Professor School of Public Health & Community Medicine PGI Chandigarh. ICDS functionaries under the leadership of Sukhdev CDPO from Chandigarh explained the importance of Poshan Abhiyan in improving the nutrition of infants and children. They informed that Annaprashan, the first rice eating/ solid food initiation ceremony, marks a significant milestone in a baby's life at the age of 6 months is celebrated by them in Anganwadi of Chandigarh.
(editor@dailyworld.in)