Philippine anti-child mortality programs already in place

MANILA, Dec. 26 (PNA) -— The Philippines has already several anti-child mortality programs in place, the National Economic and Development Agency (NEDA) announced during the launch for the “The Search For The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Youth Champions.”

”A number of national policies, plans and frameworks and programs are already in place, targeting various aspects that impact on new born and child heath. Implementation, monitoring are also being carried out,” NEDA further stated.

NEDA said that this includes the Philippine National Development for Children (“Child 21”): a strategic framework that guides stakeholders in planning programs and interventions that promote and safeguard the rights of Filipino children in the 21st century;

Milk Code of 1986 (Executive Order 51) which provides for safe and adequate nutrition of infants through breast-feeding and ensuring the proper use of breast milk substitute and supplements; Rooming-In and Breast-feeding Act of 1992 (Republic Act 7600) which requires both private and public health institutions to create an environment where the physical and psychological needs of the mothers and infant are satisfied;

Other anti-child mortality frameworks include the National Dairy Development Act of 1995 (Republic Act 7884) which seeks to use of locally produced milk for feeding programs for children;

An Act Establishing the Food Fortification Program and for other purposes of 2000 (Republic Act 8976) which insures the availability of fortified food staples;

An Act Promulgating A Comprehensive Policy and a National System for Ensuring New Born Screening (Republic Act 2988) which mandates that every new born infant has the right to access new born screening;

NEDA also stated that the national government has made significant strides in providing health care for marginalized babies nationwide with the activation of the “Act Promulgating and a National System for Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) (Republic Act 8980) which institutionalizes ECCD in terms of promoting the rights of a child to survival, development and special survivals” and Republic Act 7846 (enacted in 1994) which provides compulsory immunization against Hepatitis B for infants and children below eight years.”

NEDA also said that child mortality in the Philippines decreased by some 60 percents from a high of 80 deaths per 1,000 live births in the 1990s to only 32 to 1,000 in 2006.

NEDA attributes the government’s success in this endeavor to the placement of the above-mentioned programs.