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It’s not the fanciest hospital in Metro Manila, but it’s getting recognition from an international organization.
“The government-run Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Sta. Cruz, Manila has been recognized as a role model of the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region Office for its essential newborn care programs, which have been proven to reduce infant morbidity and mortality,” reports Jet Villa on InterAksyon.com.
In fact, Dr. Howard Lawrence Sobel — the WHO-WPRO regional coordinator for Reproductive, Maternity, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health — said that they have “replicated Fabella’s programs in seven countries in the region: Cambodia, China, Laos, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vietnam.”
Sobel cited Fabella’s Unang Yakap (First Embrace) program, which started in 2009, for pioneering the concepts of breastfeeding, human milk banking, and kangaroo mother care, among others.”
Sobel explained, “I have always been impressed with Fabella. We learned from this hospital so we brought Unang Yakap to other countries in the Western Pacific that had the highest infant deaths in the region.”
Sobel revealed that “a decline in newborn mortality and morbidity was recorded in these countries after replicating Fabella’s programs.”
The report noted: “The Western Pacific region covers 27 countries, including the Philippines. There are some areas in the region that have high rates of maternal and neonatal deaths.”
Photo: JoRitchChT (WikiCommons)
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