Law Summary
Definitions
- Clarifies key terms such as age of gestation, bottlefeeding, breastfeeding, breastmilk, expressed breastmilk, formula feeding, health institutions, health personnel, infant, infant formula, lactation management, low birth weight infant, mother’s milk, rooming-in, seriously ill mothers, and wet-nursing.
Applicability
- Applies to all private and government health institutions practicing rooming-in and breastfeeding.
Rooming-In and Breastfeeding of Infants
- Normal spontaneous deliveries: infants immediately breastfed and roomed-in within 30 minutes if well or low birth weight but able to suck.
- Caesarian deliveries: rooming-in and breastfeeding to start within 3 to 4 hours after birth.
- Deliveries outside health institutions: infants and mothers admitted to obstetrics unit shall follow rooming-in and breastfeeding immediately.
- Exemptions: for mothers or infants with medical conditions prohibiting breastfeeding or rooming-in as determined by physician; alternatives include expressed breastmilk or wet-nursing.
- Mothers’ right to breastfeed is upheld; bottlefeeding allowed only if mother is informed and consents in writing.
Human Milk Bank
- Health institutions adopting the law shall provide facilities for breastmilk collection, storage, and utilization as defined by the Department of Health.
Information, Education, and Re-Education Drive
- Continuing education and training for health personnel on updated lactation management.
- Obligatory information dissemination to pregnant women during prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal periods including support groups and free educational materials.
Incentives
- Private health institutions may deduct expenses incurred in compliance up to twice the actual amount for income tax purposes.
- Government health institutions to receive additional budget appropriations equal to savings from adopting rooming-in and breastfeeding.
Sanctions
- Secretary of Health empowered to impose sanctions for violations, including reprimand, censure, and suspension of permit for repeated violations.
Rules and Regulations
- Secretary of Health, in consultation with relevant agencies and organizations, to promulgate implementing rules and regulations.
Repealing Clause
- All existing laws and regulations inconsistent with this Act are repealed or modified accordingly.
Separability Clause
- If any part of the Act is declared invalid, remaining provisions remain effective.
Effectivity
- The Act takes effect 120 days after publication in two newspapers of general circulation.