The National Nutrition Council – MIMAROPA Region conducted the first leg of the online Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) Provincial Association Meeting joined by participants from the province of Marinduque last 28 August 2020 via Google Meet Application.
Discussed during the meeting were guidelines on milk donation during emergencies, FAQs on breastfeeding during COVID-19 for health workers, report on SAM and MAM cases per municipality, Regional Nutrition Committee Resolution No. 1, s. 2020, status of FBNS member contributions and funds, and sharing of activities for September to December 2020. Select participants also talked about some of their good practices and experiences during COVID-19 response and 2020 Nutrition Month activities.
BNS participants shared how they extended their assistance and served as frontliners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the common activities include ensuring that pregnant women visit health centers for prenatal check-ups, sending pregnant women to hospitals for delivery of infants, providing support especially to the vulnerable groups such as 0 to 23 months old children, malnourished children and elderly and distribution of vitamin A supplementation to 6 to 59 months old children, giving of food rations to families, providing deworming and flu vaccine, monitoring of locally stranded individuals (LSIs), persons under monitoring (PUMs) and persons under investigation (PUIs). Despite the doubled workload due to the current situation, BNSs were delighted in providing nutrition services to all.
The discussions also revealed that community quarantine is not a hindrance in the celebration of the 2020 Nutrition Month. Some of the activities conducted while observing minimum public health safety protocols were production and distribution of Nutribun to 190,000 families, preschool children and elderly, poster making contest, distribution of vitamin C for the elderly, conduct of Zumba, feeding programs benefited by SUW, UW and pregnant women, Pabasa sa Nutrisyon, implementing of backyard and community gardening, cooking demonstration, provision of deworming to 12-59 months old and school children, hanging of nutrition month streamers, and building of foot-operated handwashing and sanitizing stations in partnership with NAPOCOR and Marinduque State College in all barangays including public places to lessen the spread of the virus.
The NNC Secretariat reminded the participants that donations of infant formula or powdered milk, teat or pacifier, commercial baby food and feeding bottle are prohibited in compliance to EO 51. In support to the Milk Code, the following orders were implemented: a) DOH AO 2006-0014: National Policies on Infant and Young Children and b) DOH AO 2007-0017: Guidelines on the Acceptance and Processing of Foreign and Local Donations during Emergency and Disaster Situations focuses on prohibiting donations of any breastmilk substitutes. A discussion on breastfeeding and COVID-19 FAQs by health workers released by the World Health Organization followed.
Lastly, BNSs and NAOs were informed on the adaption of Regional Nutrition Cluster (RNC) Resolution No. 1, s. 2020: Seeking Support from RDC MIMAROPA to Request all Local Government Units in the Region to Provide Healthy and Nutritious Food Packs during Disasters, Calamities and Public Health Emergencies which was approved by the Regional Development Council (RDC) last 4 September 2020. (NKSLoyola)
Sources:
https://nnc.gov.ph/regional-offices/luzon/region-iv-b-mimaropa/3895-rnc-pushes-for-healthy-food-packs
