By Gideon C. Corgue
PAGADIAN CITY – Zamboanga del Sur Medical Center (ZSMC) chief of clinics, Dr. Aurito Ampong, has called on all mothers love and care for their children.
In his message during the culmination of the National Breastfeeding Week celebration Thursday, Ampong quoted award-winning singer/song writer Gary Valenciano who said: “the secret of serving is loving.”
“I encourage you all mothers to serve and love your children. You can show your love by breastfeeding them,” Ampong stressed.
Ampong explained the importance of breastfeeding to 12 postpartum mothers from the OB-Gyne and private wards who attended the activity along with the doctors and nurses of the Zamboanga del Sur Medical Center, a mother-baby friendly hospital.
Breastfeeding, Ampong said, provides ideal nutrition for infants. “If you breastfeed your children, they will grow healthy and strong.”
Ampong encouraged also his fellow doctors and nurses to continue doing advocacy on breastfeeding to the mothers in the hospital to address the prevalence of malnutrition.
In related development, Dr. Ma. Rovelle Blancia, provincial health officer and acting hospital administrator of the Zamboanga del Sur Medical Center said the hospital’s administration has a reason to celebrate saying that the ZSMC was awarded by the Mother-Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Committee (regional level) a certificate of commitment as breastfeeding hospital for two years for sustaining the guidelines and implementation of the program.
Blancia said it also received another certificate of commitment for establishing lactation rooms for their breastfeeding employees at the OB-Gyne ward located and the 2nd floor and for their patients and watchers at the outpatient department at the first floor.
The establishment of lactation rooms is one way of promoting and encouraging breastfeeding and gave opportunities for mothers to continue expressing their milk and/or breastfeeding their infant or young child.