The Quezon City government is calling for the support of lactating mothers to donate breast milk to the Quezon City Human Milk Bank (QCHMB).
“Mahalaga ito. Layunin ng Quezon City Human Milk Bank na madonate ang mga gatas after ma-pasteurize at maibigay natin sa mga batang nangangailangan, sa mga sanggol na nasa ICU, o nasa kritikal na kondisyon. Ang breastmilk ay sadyang best food for babies (This is an important initiative. The milk bank’s aim is to distribute the pasteurized donated milk to children in need, such as those confined in critical care units of hospitals. Breast milk is, indeed, the best food for babies),” QCHMB executive director Dr. Catherine Reportoso said.
According to Dr. Reportoso, 10 percent of the collected pasteurized human milk is being stored for distribution during calamities.
The QC Human Milk Bank was launched on March 23, 2015 by Mayor Herbert Bautista as a collaborative effort of the city government together with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and other partners advocating breastfeeding.
Potential donors include “mga boluntaryong nanay na merong gatas na more than enough para sa mga babies nila. Ang ibang mga nanay tumutulo ang gatas nila, nasasayang at ‘di na napapakinabangan. So, this milk, ito ‘yung inaasahan natin (volunteer nursing mothers who express more milk than their babies need. In many cases, the excess milk just goes to waste. These are the milk we wish to save),” Dr. Reportoso said during an inter-agency meeting of the QC Human Milk Bank.
Milk donors undergo interview and blood screening to validate their eligibility. As of 2016, a total of 1191 eligible donors have donated milk, corresponding to an increase of 89 percent compared to 629 milk donors in 2015.
The milk from volunteer donors goes through the following mandatory procedures before dispensing: (1) Initial screening; (2) Hepatitis B and HIV testing; (3) Bacteriological testing before and after pre-pasteurization; (4) Post-pasteurization step.
As of 2016, QCHMB has collected a total of 98,854 milliliters (98.8 liters) in the seven milk depots and from the milk-letting activities conducted by QC Health Department.
Lactating mothers who wish to donate their milk can visit QC General Hospital or any of the seven lying-in centers of Quezon City, namely: San Francisco Lying-in, Batasan Hills Lying-in, Betty Go-Belmonte Lying-in, Murphy Lying in, Kamuning Lying-in, Arsenia Maximo Lying-in, and Sta. Lucia Lying-in clinics.
In 2016, 151 babies in public and private hospitals benefited from the milk stored in QC Human Milk Bank.
