The Quezon City Human Milk Bank (QCHMB) has expanded its services to babies admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Tala Hospital in Caloocan City.
Three liters of pasteurized breast milk were given to infants whose moms have COVID-19 and were in quarantine as well as to sick and premature babies.
QCHMB head Dr. Shahani Duque said the program aims to help “in-need infants and moms regardless of the city they are in.”
The Quezon City Health Department and QCHMB collect donated human milk from breastfeeding mothers in the city’s 32 lying-in clinics and screened donors.
In May, the QCHMB also provided seven liters of pasteurized human milk to neonates affected by the fire accident in the Philippine General Hospital
The city’s milk bank also helped to breastfeed babies affected by the Taal Volcano eruption in January 2020.
Located at Quezon City General Hospital, QCHMB was established in April 2015 to help babies and their mothers who experience difficulty breastfeeding.
According to the World Health Organization, breast milk improves a child’s health, especially during the first six months.
