Press Release: DOH's LBK promotes exclusive breastfeeding for children 6 months & below, and maternal & child health
As the Department of Health (DOH) celebrates National Breastfeeding Awareness Month this August, Lakbay Buhay Kalusugan (LBK) health fiesta caravan makes its sixth stop in Bukidnon; its first in the island of Mindanao, on August 10 & 11.
In support of the DOH’s Agenda of Kalusugan Pangakalahatan or Universal Health Care, LBK is a comprehensive health promotion caravan that aims to inform and educate families in remote communities. It mainly features a bus which has been customized to provide consultation and clinical services for families. The caravan also includes a festive health promotion arena of interactive exhibits, health classes, storytelling sessions, and entertainment shows.
The DOH theme for this month’s celebration is “Isulong ang Breastfeeding: Tama, Sapat at Eksklusibo.”
“Breastmilk is the perfect food for newborn infants as it contains the specific nutrients required for growth and development,” said DOH Secretary Enrique T. Ona. The DOH recommends six months of exclusive breastfeeding. Mothers are also encouraged to prepare nutritious meals for their families.
“The LBK is a good way of showing Filipinos that they are drivers of their own health,” said Ona. “I invite the residents of Bukidnon to join DOH in this leg of the journey.”
Since the health fiesta caravan was launched in March this year, it has been to five provinces–Tarlac, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Negros Occidental and Bohol–where it was able to generate awareness on health and to promote better health-seeking behaviors among families.
The LBK caravan stops in Kitaotao municipality where it aims to bring critical information on health practices to indigent residents of remote barangays.
After this leg, the health fiesta caravan proceeds to four other sites in Zamboanga del Norte, Compostela Valley, South Cotabato, and Maguindanao in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao.
LBK is made possible by a partnership among the DOH, the LGUs of municipality of Kitaotao and the province of Bukidnon, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and private partners such as the Dona Marta T. Hernandez Foundation of Victory Liner Inc., Melawares, Air21, OMF Literature Inc., Dakila – Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila Broadcasting Company, UNTV, Center for Community Journalism and Development, Philippine Press Institute and the Alliance of Young Nurse Leaders and Advocates International, Inc..
For more information please contact Dr. Irma L. Asuncion, Director, National Center for Health Promotion, DOH/743-8438
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