The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on first reading a proposed ordinance mandating the City Health Services Office (CHSO) to establish storage facilities for breast milk in every district health center in the city.
Under the proposed ordinance authored by Councilor Betty Lourdes F. Tabanda, the storage facility for breast milk shall be located in an appropriate room or space in the district health centers to be equipped with a refrigerator or freezer, cooler packs, food grade containers, breast pumps, milk storage bags, and such other materials needed to express and store breast milk.
The ordinance requires the CHSO to assign one of the health personnel in each of the district health centers who will undergo the necessary training on the proper management of breast milk in the storage facility.
Further, the CHSO will be tasked to formulate the guidelines in the implementation of the proposed measure.
The ordinance provides that the amount of P1 million which shall come from savings or any available funds of the city will be appropriated for the said purpose. Succeeding funds shall be included in the CHSO’s annual budget.
According to the proposal, with proper storage, the breast milk can still be made available hours after it has been expressed and that the use of an appropriate storage bag or food grade containers placed in the refrigerator, freezer or cooler packs preserves its nutrition’s and extends its life.
Republic Act (RA) 7600 otherwise known as the Rooming-in and Breastfeeding Act of 1992, RA 10028 otherwise known as the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009, Proclamation No. 1113, series of 2006 declaring August 1-7 of every year as World Breastfeeding Week and Executive Order No. 51, series of 1986 also known as the National Code of Marketing of Breastfeeding Substitutes, Breast Milk Supplements and other Related Products are laws that revitalize public and world attention to the impact of breastfeeding on the development and survival of infants and young children.
Moreover, the Department of Health issued Administrative Order No. 2005-0014 that provides the policies on infant and young child feeding highlighting the importance of breastfeeding practices, initiating breastfeeding from within one hour after birth up to two years and beyond.
The ordinance underscored that breast milk is the best food for infants and young children because it contains essential nutrients that build up a baby’s immune system and is the least costly.
It added that breast milk ensures maternal health by promoting the fast recovery of the mother and fosters a stronger bond between the mother and her child.
The ordinance stipulated that mothers naturally want to provide breast milk to their child, however, not all mothers can nurse where certain factors such as the health situation of the mother and/or the child, living in special difficult circumstances, crisis situations, and other special circumstances hinder the mother from providing breast milk to the infants.
