• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Breastfeeding mothers in Bacolod City will soon be provided with free nutritional supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients.
This after the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved on third and final reading the Bacolod City Postnatal Supplementation Program Ordinance, that seeks to promote the health and nutrition of breastfeeding mothers and their infants.
“The health and wellbeing of mothers and their infants are vital to the development of Bacolod, and breastfeeding is the most natural and effective way to provide optimal nutrition and immunity to infants,” Councilor Em Ang, who authored the ordinance, stressed.
Ang and her co-author, Councilor Celia Matea Flor, noted that many breastfeeding mothers experience nutritional deficits during the postnatal period, which can be mitigated through supplementation, thus the ordinance.
Under the ordinance, the supplements shall be distributed through the City Health Office (CHO), barangay health centers, or designated health providers. “The supply of supplements shall be replenished regularly, and the distribution shall be monitored to ensure proper coverage.”
The program covers all breastfeeding mothers residing in Bacolod, as certified by health authorities or barangay officials.
The CHO shall monitor the implementation of the ordinance, submit regular reports to the SP on the utilization of funds and program outcomes, and develop guidelines and procedures for the effective implementation of the program, including criteria for eligibility, distribution schedules, and reporting, in coordination with barangay health workers. | CGC
