To ensure that every Filipino child grows healthy as envisioned in a Bagong Pilipinas, various government agencies have joined forces to strengthen healthcare programs focused on prenatal care and malnutrition prevention, especially during a child’s first two to three years of life.

In a Palace briefing on Thursday, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced that the Department of Health (DOH) has launched a Nutrition Leadership and Governance Program to strengthen the capacity of local officials to provide quality and accessible health services to mothers, pregnant women, and babies in their community.

“Nagsanib pwersa ang DOH, DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government), at 235 LGUs upang paigtingin ang mga programang pangkalusugan para sa mga batang Pilipino lalo na sa kanilang first 1,000 days,” Castro said on Thursday.

“Ayon ito sa nais ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. na gawing mas malusog ang bawat batang Pilipino. Lahat dapat kumpleto ang nutrisyon mula pagsilang hanggang paglaki,” Castro said.

Under the program, Castro said pregnant women and mothers with their babies will receive support in prenatal care and maternal nutrition, proper breastfeeding and complementary feeding, clean facilities, and affordable health services in every local government unit (LGU) across the country.

Castro said the government is working to address the causes of malnutrition among children to have healthier and stronger Filipinos.

“Dahil sa Bagong Pilipinas, walang batang maiiwan sa laban para sa kalusugan,” Castro said. | PND