Singapore’s KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and SingHealth Duke-NUS Maternal and Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Taguig City, Manila, to enhance maternal and child health services. The collaboration, supported by Temasek Foundation, focuses on expanding Taguig’s existing breast milk bank, nutrition research, and capacity building for healthcare infrastructure.
A key initiative of the agreement is KKH’s commitment to leverage its expertise in breast milk banking to improve Taguig’s milk bank operations, established in 2015. The goal is to ensure better access to breast milk for infants in need, promoting infant nutrition and overall health. As part of the partnership, KKH will introduce advanced freezer locker systems for safer and more efficient storage and distribution of donor milk.
Additionally, a separate partnership was signed between Taguig City, healthcare technology firm CareSpan Asia, and Temasek Foundation. The USD 2.12 million program will provide telemedicine and electronic medical record capabilities, benefiting 350,000 underserved citizens and streamlining health insurance claims in the city. The collaborations were formalized during Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s state visit to the Philippines, signaling a commitment to scaling healthcare innovations across other regions in the future.
(Source: Straits Times)
