BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance establishing a human milk bank in the city to support children in need of breast milk.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Leandro B. Yangot, Jr. stated that it shall be the policy of the local government to promote and advance the health of women, as well as their children, by providing for their basic needs, and breastfeeding is the natural way of providing infants with the nutrients for healthy growth and development.
It added a human milk bank section under the City Health Services Office Pediatric will be established and shall collect, screen, process, store and distribute donated human milk; implement guidelines issued by the hospital officials together with the City Health Services Officer with respect to the donation, collection, screening, processing, storing and distribution of donated breast milk and coordinate with breastfeeding support groups and barangay health workers within the city to spread awareness and in encouraging mothers to donate breast milk.
Yangot said the milk bank shall be operated on a non-profit basis, but a minimal processing fee may be charged to cover the screening fee, processing and administrative cost, however, inability to pay for the said fee shall not be a reason for non-availment of the milk for patients in need.
The human milk bank section shall be composed of trained and dedicated health personnel in human milk banking and location management, consultants and physicians who shall act as the human milk bank section head or coordinator or administrator, lactating specialist or counsellor nurse, midwife and medical technologist.
On the other hand, the human milk bank shall draft the necessary rules and regulations providing for the qualifications, disqualifications and benefits of a milk donor while maintaining, reviewing and regularly updating a manual of procedure providing for the rules and guidelines related to the donation, collection, screening, processing, storing and distribution of donated breast milk.
Yangot added in the distribution of donated breast milk, priority shall be service or private patients, who are pre-term, post-surgical or critically-ill new born, and for infants in disaster and calamity-stricken area and in the event of low supply of donated milk, the human milk bank consultant physician shall use the criteria adopted by the Philippine National Committee on Human Milk Banking in determining the qualified recipients of donated milk.
The ordinance provided August every year shall be known as “Breatfeeding Awareness Month’ and the local government shall conduct activities geared towards achieving the objectives of protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding in the country; guarantee the rightful place of breastfeeding in society as a time-honored tradition and nurturing values as well and provide information about the benefits and superiority of breastfeeding in high risks and cost of bottle feeding.
Yangot is proposing the appropriation of P1 million from the budget of the city every year for the establishment of the human milk bank.
By Dexter A. See
