Koronadal City - The quad clusters of Health of the DOH XII is one of the composite teams of DOH regional offices who were mobilized to augment      emergency response to the evacuees of Marawi siege. DOH Assistant Secretary Abdullah Dumama, Jr. issued a memorandum requesting DOH regional  offices in Mindanao to provide emergency response to the internally displaced persons from Marawi City. Medical, WASH, Mental Health and  Psychosocial  and Nutrition clusters of DOH XII were deployed in Buru-un School of Fisheries and Buru-un Gym in Iligan City. The National Nutrition  Council XII, being  the lead agency of the regional nutrition cluster and the nutrition staff of DOH XII conducted nutritional assessment among 0-71  months old children  particularly the measurement of their mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) in the evacuation centers. This will identify who are  the severely and  moderately acute malnourished children and be provided with proper treatment. The team helped also the NDPs and Barangay  Nutrition Scholars in the  distribution of micronutrient supplements and complementary food for 6-23 months preschool children.

Moreover, the nutrition cluster provided counselling to pregnant and lactating mothers and intensify the advocacy on the importance of breastfeeding.  The  counselling sessions was done in the established Mother-Baby spaces provided by the Modern Nanays of Mindanao, a breastfeeding advocate and  support  group based in Cagayan de Oro City. This is to support, protect, promote breastfeeding especially in emergencies. The team also monitored  the camp if the  No Milk Donation policy is violated. Donations of breastmilk substitutes such as infant formula, powdered milk, feeding bottles and  even commercialized  baby food are not allowed in compliance to Executive Order 51 or the Milk Code. The group also provided community kitchen,  wherein mothers were  taught how to prepare nutritious, appropriate, and safe complementary food for their infants aged 6-23 months old. (LFUtlang/NNCXII)