Mayor asked to convene human milk bank committee

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu City Council has requested the Office of the Mayor to convene the human milk bank committee pursuant to sections 7 and 14 of City Ordinance 2587.

Authored by Councilor Alvin Dizon, CO 2587 is also known as “An Ordinance Establishing a Human Milk Bank (HMB) in the City of Cebu for the support of Women and Children in need of Breastmilk, Providing Incentives to Milk Donors, Providing Funds Therefor, and for other Purposes” which was passed on October 28, 2020.

Section 7 of the ordinance provides that “there shall be created a Cebu City Human Milk Bank Committee which shall be chaired by the Mayor to ensure and monitor the implementation of this ordinance and its implementing rules and regulations.”

Section 14 provides the Cebu City Medical Center and the City Health Department shall be the implementing agencies of the ordinance.

The HMB Committee, within 30 days after the effectivity of the ordinance, shall prepare the necessary rules and regulations to effectively carry out its provisions including protocol for the offsite screening process for mothers who are willing to and potential milk donors but are unable to physically go to the milk bank due to medical or other reasons.

CO 2587 was enacted on the premise that milk banking is needed especially in critical situations where breastfeeding from the mother is not possible such as babies in difficult situations like those affected by man-made or natural disasters, public health emergencies like the current COVID-19 pandemic, are critically-ill or born prematurely, or when the mother died.

Dizon said making breast milk accessible at this time of pandemic is critically important.

As emphasized by Atty. Alberto Muyot, chief executive officer of Save the Children Philippines, nutrition and health support to children, pregnant and lactating mothers must be integrated into the national and local government response during COVID-19 pandemic including the promotion of breastfeeding.

“There is a strong need to increase public investment in support of child and maternal health and nutrition programs especially in creating facilities like a milk bank given established facts that breastmilk works like a baby’s first vaccine, protecting infants from potentially deadly diseases and giving them all the nourishment they need to survive and thrive,” said Dizon. — FPL (FREEMAN)