By Michael Mugas/PNA
BATAC CITY — Staying true to its recognition as a Mother-Baby Friendly Hospital facility for years, the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH&MC) here is set to roll out the full implementation of a functional Human Milk Bank (HMB) this year.
In an interview Wednesday, MMMH&MC’s HMB program coordinator, Dr. Rocamia Fermin, said “efforts to establish a functional HMB started years before the hospital’s commitment under the Performance Governance System, which the institution is currently trailing on.”
She noted that its creation will not only directly benefit the province of Ilocos Norte, but other neighboring provinces as well.
“We are looking at the possibility of ensuring the importance of breastfeeding and donated human milk is upheld for providing optimal nutrition and immunological protection of all Ilocano infants, especially when a mother’s own milk is unavailable,” she added.
The project, backed by the Department of Health (DOH), aims to address a handful of human milk banks in the country where most look down on the importance of breastfeeding towards the development of newborns.
Fermin also highlighted the important role of HMB during disasters, especially in a country that is often plagued by natural disasters.
“Pasteurized donor human milk provides the safest food among babies in the evacuation areas (which are used in times of disasters),” she said.
With the full implementation of HMB, Fermin said she is optimistic that infant morbidity and mortality rate would significantly decrease from the 2.56 percent recorded in the last quarter of 2018.
When asked about the plans of the hospital in line with the initiative, Fermin shared the goal is to turn MMMH&MC as a “Milk Depot of Region 1” (Ilocos) in the next five years, and strengthen research pursuits as this is important in the development process.
