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Republic Act No. 7600The Rooming-In and Breast-Feeding Act of1992(Promulgated June 2, 1992)

Section 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as "TheRooming-In and Breast-Feeding Act of 1992".

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State adoptsrooming-in as a national policy to encourage, protectand support the practice of breastfeeding. It shall createan environment where the basic physical, emotional,and psychological needs of mothers and infants arefulfilled through the practice of rooming-in andbreastfeeding.

Breastfeeding has distinct advantages which benefit theinfant and the mother including the hospital and the

country that adopt its practice. It is the first preventivehealth measure that can be given to the child at birth. Italso enhances mother-infantrelationship.Furthermore, the practice of Breastfeedingcould save the country valuable foreign exchange thatmay otherwise be used for milk importation.

Breastmilk is the best food since it contains essential_____ completely suitable for the infants needs. It isalso natures first immunization, enabling the infant tofight potential serious infection. It contains growthfactors that enhance the maturization of an infants

organ systems.Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act,the followingdefinition are adopted:

(a) Age of gestation - the length of time the fetus isinside the mother's womb.

(b) Bottle-feeding - the method of feeding an infantusing a bottle with artificial nipples, the contents ofwhich can be any type of fluid.

(c) Breastfeeding - the method of feeding an infantdirectly from the human breast.

(d) Breastmilk - the human milk from a mother.

(e) Expressed Breastwork - the human milk which wasextracted from the breast by hand or by pump. It can befed to an infant using the dropper, a nasogatric tube, acup and spoon, or a bottle.

(f) Formula Feeding - the feeding of a newborn withinfant formula usually by bottlefeeding. It is also called

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Chapter I. Rooming-in and Breastfeeding of Infants

Sec. 4. Applicability. - The provisions in this Chaptershall apply to all private and government healthinstitutions adopting rooming-in and breastfeeding asdefined in this Act.

Sec. 5. Normal Spontaneous Deliveries. - The followingnewborn infants be put to the breast of the motherimmediately after birth and forthwith roomed-in withinthirty (30) minutes:

(a) well infants regardless of age of gestation; and

(b) infants with low birth weights but who can suck.

Sec. 6. Deliveries by Caesarian. - Infants delivered bycaesarian section shall be roomed-in and breastfedwithin three (3) to four (4) hours after birth.

Sec. 7. Deliveries Outside Health Institutions. -New borns delivered outside health institutions whosemothers have been admitted to the obstetricsdepartment/unit and who both meet the generalconditions stated in Section 5 of this Act, shall beroomed-in and breastfed immediately.

Sec. 8. Exemptions. - Infants whose conditions do notpermit rooming-in and breast-feeding as determined bythe attending physician, and infants whose mothers areeither:

(a) seriously ill;

(b) taking medications contraindicated to breastfeeding;

(c) violent psychotics; or

(d) whose conditions do not permit breastfeeding androoming-in as determined by the physician shall beexempted from the provisions of Sections 5, 6, and 7:Provided, That these infants shall be fedexpressedbreastmilk or wet-nursed as may bedetermined by the attending physician.

Sec. 9. Right of the Mother to Breastfeed. - It shall bethe mothers right to breastfeeed her child who equally

has the right to her breastmilk.Bottlefeeding shall beallowed only after the mother has been informed by theattending health personnel of the advantages ofbreastfeeding and the proper techniques of infantformula feeding and the mother has opted in writing toadopt formula feeding for her infant.

Chapter II. Human Milk Bank

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Sec. 10. Provision of Facilities for Breastmilk Collectionand Storage. - The health institution adopting rooming-in and Breastfeeding shall provide equipment, facilities,and supplies for breastmilk collection, storage andutilization, 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 andTraining of Health Personnel. - The Department ofHealth with the assistance of other governmentagencies, professional and non-governmentorganizations shall conduct continuing information,education, re-education, and training programs forphysicians, nurses, midwives, nutritionist, dietitians,community health workers and traditional birth

attendants (TBAs) and other health personnel oncurrent and updated lactation management.

Information materials shall be given to all healthpersonnel involved in maternal and infant care in healthinstitutions.

Sec. 12. Information Dissemination to PregnantWomen. - During the prenatal, perinatal and postnatalconsultations and/or confinements of the mothers orpregnant women in a health institutions, it shall be theobligation of the health institution and the health

personnel to immediately and continuously teach, train,and support the women on current and updatedlactation management and infant care, throughparticipatory strategies such as organization of mothersclubs and breastfeeding support groups and todistribute written information materials on such mattersfree of charge.

Chapter IV. Miscellaneous Provisions

Sec. 13. Incentives. - The expenses incurred by aprivate health institution in complying with the provisionsof this Act, shall be deductible expenses for income tax

purpose up to twice the actual incurred: Provided, Thatthe deduction shall apply for the taxable period whenthe expenses were incurred: Provided, further, That thehospital shall comply with the provisions of this Actwithin six (6) months after its approval.

Government health institutions shall receive anadditional appropriation equivalent to the savings themay derive as a result of adopting rooming-in and

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breastfeeding. The additional appropriation shall beincluded in their budget for the next fiscal year.

Sec. 14. Sanctions. - The Secretary of Health is herebyempowered to impose sanctions for the violation of thisAct and the rules issuedthereunder. Such sanctions

may be in the form of reprimand or censure and in caseof repeated willful violations, suspension of the permit tooperate of the health institution.

Sec. 15. Rules and Regulations. - The Secretary ofHealth, in consultation with other government agencies,professional and non-government organizationsconcerned shall promulgate the rules and regulationsnecessary 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 arehereby repeated, amended, or modified accordingly.

Sec. 17. Separability Clause. - If any clause, sentence,paragraph or part of this Act shall be declared to beinvalid, the remainder of this Act or any provision notaffected thereby shall remain in force and effect.

Sec. 18. Effectivity. - This Act take effect one hundredtwenty (120) days after publication in at least two (2)newspapers of general circulation.

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