|
Sponsored
by: The
ChanRobles Group
A
collection
of Philippine laws, statutes and codes
not
included or cited in the main
indices
of
theChan Robles Virtual Law Library
This page features the full text of
Republic
Act No. 7600
The
Rooming-In and Breast-Feeding Act of 1992
Republic
Act No. 7600
AN
ACT PROVIDING INCENTIVES TO ALL GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE HEALTH
INSTITUTIONS
WITH ROOMING-IN AND BREAST-FEEDING PRACTICES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
.
SECTION
1. Title. - This Act shall be known as "The Rooming-In and
Breast-Feeding
Act of 1992".
chan
robles virtual law library
SEC.
2. Declaration of Policy. - The State adopts rooming-in as a
national
policy to encourage, protect and support the practice of breastfeeding.
It shall create an environment where the basic physical, emotional, and
psychological needs of mothers and infants are fulfilled through the
practice
of rooming-in and breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding
has distinct advantages which benefit the infant and the mother
including
the hospital and the country that adopt its practice. It is the first
preventive
health measures that can give to the child at birth. It also enhances
mother-infant
relationship, Furthermore, the practice of Breastfeeding could save the
country valuable foreign exchange that may otherwise be used for milk
importation.
Breastmilk
is the best food since it contains essential completely suitable for
the
infant’s needs. It is also nature’s first immunization, enabling the
infant
to fight potential serious infection, It contains growth factors that
enhance
the maturization of an infant’s organ systems.
SEC.
3. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the
following
definition are adopted:
(a) Age of gestation - the length
of time the fetus is
inside
the mother's womb.
(b) Bottle-feeding - the method of
feeding an infant using a
bottle
with artificial nipples, the contents of which can be any type of fluid.
(c) Breastfeeding - the method of feeding
an infant directly from
the
human breast.
chan
robles virtual law library
(d)
Breastmilk - the human milk from a mother.
(e) Expressed Breastwork - the humanmilk
which has extracted
from
the breast by hand or by pump. It can be fed to an infant using
the
dropper, a nasogatric tube, a cup and spoon, or a bottle.
(f) Formula Feeding - the feeding of a
newborn with infant
formula usually
by bottlefeeding. It is also called artificial feeding.
(g) Health Institutions - are hospitals,
health infirmaries,
health
centers, lying-in centers, or puericulture centers with obstetrical and
pediatric services.
(h) Health Personnel - are professionals
and workers who manage
and/or
administer the entire operation and health institutions and/or who are
involved in providing maternal and child health services.
(i) Infant - a child within zero (0) to
twelve (12) months of age.
(j) Infant Formula - the Breastmilk
substitute formulated
industrially
in accordance with applicable Codex Alimentary standards, to
satisfy
the normal nutritional requirements of infants up to six (6)
months
of age, and adopted to their physiological characteristics.
(k) Lactation Management - the general
care of a mother-infant
nursing
couple during the mother's prenatal immediate postpartum and
postnatal
periods. It deals with educating and providing knowledge and
information
to pregnant and lactating mothers on the advantages of Breastfeeding,
the
physiology of lactation, the establishment and maintenance of
lactation,
the proper care that would contribute to successful Breastfeeding.
(l) Low Birth Weight Infant - a newborn
weighing less than two
thousand
five hundred (2,500) grams at birth.
(m) Mother's milk - the Breastwork from
the newborn's own mother.
(n) Rooming-in - the practice of placing
the newborn in the same
room
as the mother right after delivery up to discharge to facilitate
mother-infant bonding and to initiate breastfeeding. The
infant
may either share the mother's bed or be placed in a crib beside
the
mother.
(o) Seriously-ill Mother - are those who
are: with severe
infections;
in shock; in severe cardiac or respiratory distress; or dying' or those
with other conditions that may be determined by the attending
physician
as serious.
(p) Wet-nursing - the feeding of a
new-born from another mother's
breast
when his/her own mother cannot breast-feed.
CHAPTER
I
ROOMING-IN
AND BREASTFEEDING OF INFANTS
SEC.
4. Applicability. - The provisions in this Chapter shall apply
to
all private and government health institutions adopting rooming-in and
breastfeeding as defined in this Act.
chan
robles virtual law library
SEC.
5. Normal Spontaneous Deliveries. - The following newborn
infants
be put to the breast of the mother immediately after birth and
forthwith
roomed-in within thirty (30) minutes:
SEC.
6. Deliveries by Caesarian. - Infants delivered by caesarian
section
shall be roomed-in and breastfed within three (3) to four (4) hours
after
birth.
SEC.
7. Deliveries Outside Health Institutions. - New borns
delivered
outside health institutions whose mothers have been admitted to the
obstetrics
department/unit and who both meet the general conditions stated in
Section
5 of this Act, shall be roomed-in and breastfed immediately.
chan
robles virtual law library
SEC.
8. Exemptions. - Infants whose conditions do not permit
rooming-in
and breast-feeding as determined by the attending physician, and
infants
whose mothers are either:
(a)
seriously ill;
(b)
taking medications contraindicated to breastfeeding;
(c)
violent psychotics; or
(d)
whose conditions do not permit breastfeeding and rooming-in as
determined
by the physician shall be exempted from the provisions of Sections 5,
6,
and 7: Provided, That these infants shall be fed expressed
breastmilk
or wet-nursed as may be determined by the attending physician. SEC.
9. Right of the Mother to Breastfeed. - It shall be the
mother’s
right to breastfeeed her child who equally has the right to her
breastmilk.
Bottlefeeding shall be allowed only after the mother has been informed
by the attending health personnel of the advantages of breastfeeding
and
the proper techniques of infant formula feeding and the mother has
opted
in writing to adopt formula feeding for her infant.
CHAPTER
II
HUMAN
MILK BANK
SEC.
10. Provision of Facilities for Breastmilk Collection and Storage.
-
The health institution adopting rooming-in and Breastfeeding shall
provide equipment, facilities, and supplies for breastmilk collection,
storage and utilization, the standards of which shall be defined by the
Department of Health.
CHAPTER
III
INFORMATION,
EDUCATION AND RE-EDUCATION DRIVE
SEC.
11. Continuing Education, Re-education and Training of Health
Personnel.
- The Department of Health with the assistance of other government
agencies, professional and non-government organizations shall conduct
continuing
information, education, re-education, and training programs for
physicians,
nurses, midwives, nutritionist, dietitians, community health workers
and
traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and other health personnel on
current
and updated lactation management.
Information
materials shall be given to all health personnel involved in maternal
and
infant care in health institutions.
SEC.
12. Information Dissemination to Pregnant Women. - During the
prenatal,
perinatal and postnatal consultations and/or confinements of the
mothers
or pregnant women in a health institutions, it shall be the obligation
of the health institution and the health personnel to immediately and
continuously
teach, train, and support the women on current and updated lactation
management
and infant care, through participatory strategies such as organization
of mother’s clubs and breastfeeding support groups and to distribute
written
information materials on such matters free of charge.
chan
robles virtual law library
CHAPTER
IV
MISCELLANEOUS
PROVISIONS
SEC.
13. Incentives. - The expenses incurred by a private health
institution
in complying with the provisions of this Act, shall be deductible
expenses
for income tax purpose up to twice the actual incurred: Provided, That
the deduction shall apply for the taxable period when the expenses were
incurred: Provided, further, That the hospital shall comply
with
the provisions of this Act within six (6) months after its approval.
Government
health institutions shall receive an additional appropriation
equivalent
to the savings the may derive as a result of adopting rooming-in and
breastfeeding.
The additional appropriation shall be included in their budget for the
next fiscal year.
SEC.
14. Sanctions. - The Secretary of Health is hereby empowered
to
impose sanctions for the violation of this Act and the rules issued
thereunder.
Such sanctions may be in the form of reprimand or censure and in case
of
repeated willful violations, suspension of the permit to operate of the
health institution.
SEC.
15. Rules and Regulations. - The Secretary of Health, in
consultation
with other government agencies, professional and non-government
organizations
concerned shall promulgate the rules and regulations necessary to carry
out the provision of this Act.
SEC.
16. Repealing Clause. - All acts, laws, decrees, executive
orders,
rules and regulations or parts thereof, which are contrary to or
inconsistent
with this Act are hereby repeated, amended, or modified accordingly.
SEC.
17. Separability Clause. - If any clause, sentence, paragraph
or
part of this Act shall be declared to be invalid, the remainder of this
Act or any provision not affected thereby shall remain in force and
effect.
chan
robles
virtual law library
SEC.
18. Effectivity. - This Act take effect one hundred twenty
(120)
days after publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general
circulation.
Approved:
June 2, 1992.
Back
to Top - Back
to Main Index - Back
to Home
Copyright©1998-2006 by
ChanRobles
Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved
Since 19.07.98
|
