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By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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MANILA – A bill seeking to improve infant and child health in the Philippines has been filed in the Senate.
Senate Bill No. (SBN) 1257 proposes to develop and implement sustainable strategies to address the risk of malnutrition among children and women in prenatal and newborn care.
“The first 1,000 days of a baby’s life, which covers the nine months of a mother’s pregnancy until a child’s second birthday, is the foundation of a person’s future health, intellectual development, and motor and social skills,” said Sen. Loren Legarda.
Having proper nutrition is “crucial” for children’s physical and neurological well-being, Legarda said.
In filing her measure, the senator cited a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) that malnutrition is the leading cause of death among children under 5 years old worldwide in 2015.
The Philippines has reached its highest rate of chronic malnutrition in 10 years among children aged 0 to 2, with 26 percent, according to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute.
The Department of Health also revealed that a poor Filipino child is three times more likely not to reach his or her 5th birthday compared to one born to a rich family.
The bill aims to establish health and nutrition programs in every barangay catering to the needs of children ages 0 to 2 years old, women of reproductive age, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and teenage mothers in nutritionally-poor areas./PN
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