NPHA and UNICEF strengthen health professionals’ capacities to promote breastfeeding and childhood immunization and protect families from the marketing of breast-milk substitutes

CHIȘINĂU, 17 September 2026 – The National Public Health Agency (NPHA), in partnership with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova and UNICEF Moldova, has launched a series of training workshops for health professionals across the Republic of Moldova. The workshops focus on three areas essential to child health: implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, promoting and supporting breastfeeding, and promoting childhood immunization.

The activities will take place from September to December 2026, contributing to the implementation of the National Programme for the Prevention and Control of Priority Noncommunicable Diseases in the Republic of Moldova for 2023–2027, approved by Government Decision No. 129/2023.

A total of four workshops dedicated to the implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes will bring together 286 paediatricians and neonatologists from different regions of the country. Supported by the Government of Norway, the workshops are being held in Chișinău, Bălți and Cahul.

Another 21 workshops, organized with financial support from the Government of Korea, will focus on promoting and supporting breastfeeding and will involve approximately 2,100 family doctors and nurses. They will take place in Chișinău and Bălți, as well as in several district centres, including Comrat, Cahul, Căușeni, Ungheni, Edineț and Ocnița.

The training sessions aim to strengthen the capacities of health workers to implement the provisions of the Code, counsel mothers and families on breastfeeding and infant and young child feeding, and appropriately implement the provisions of the National Immunization Programme.

The workshops cover the purpose and scope of the Code, the national regulatory framework governing the marketing of breast-milk substitutes, and the responsibilities of health workers in its implementation. Participants also discuss the protection and promotion of breastfeeding and the role of primary health care in providing breastfeeding support.

The programme also covers international recommendations on breastfeeding, prenatal and postnatal counselling, as well as correct attachment and positioning of the baby at the breast. Other topics include balanced nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding, energy requirements, macro- and micronutrient intake, hydration principles, and substances that require particular caution.

The agenda also includes a dedicated session on immunization. Topics include immunization in maternity facilities, the provisions of the National Immunization Programme 2023–2027, and trends in vaccination coverage. Participants examine childhood vaccination in line with the national schedule, specific aspects of newborn immunization, and the role of health workers in ensuring safe and appropriate vaccination.

Data on infant and young child feeding practices highlight why breastfeeding support remains a priority in the Republic of Moldova. According to the Study on Infant and Young Child Feeding Knowledge and Practices in the Republic of Moldova (UNICEF, 2024), 49 per cent of children are exclusively breastfed during the first six months of life. Only 15 per cent continue to be breastfed until the age of one, and 5 per cent until the age of two.

The World Health Organization’s global target for 2030 is for at least 60 per cent of children to be exclusively breastfed during the first six months of life. By strengthening the capacity of health professionals to inform, counsel and support families, these activities contribute to creating a more enabling environment for breastfeeding and improving infant and young child feeding practices.

The nationwide series of workshops aims to translate knowledge into better practices across the health system – from the proper implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and support for breastfeeding mothers to the promotion of immunization – so that every child can have the healthiest possible start in life.