- In response to Making Pregnancy Safer, what are the current programs in the country to address maternal mortality and morbidity? Cite at least
- One of the programs that addresses safe motherhood in the Philippines is the Department of Health’s Safe Motherhood Program that aids women throughout their pregnancy. It also involves adolescent pregnancy and includes family planning contraceptives for women. According to DOH this program ‘aims to provide Filipino women access to quality healthcare for a safer pregnancy and delivery. It aims to promote the health and well-being of mothers of a Filipino family.’ This program is targeted to last until 2030.
(DOH, n.d.) Safe Motherhood Program. Retrieved from https://doh.gov.ph/health-programs/safe-motherhood-program
- What can you suggest in order to decrease our maternal mortality and morbidity in the country? Give at least 3 suggestions.
- Educate and Inform.
- Educating women of reproductive age, pregnant women and their partners is key in preventing maternal mortality and morbidity. If they are well-informed about the factors that make pregnancy sensitive including nutrition, medications and exposure to substances then we decrease the chances of death and disease. This involved reaching to women, mothers and parents in different platform, providing accurate information as well as debunking pregnancy myths.
- Accessible and Affordable.
- We must find a way to make maternal care more accessible especially to indigent people. This involves making healthcare more affordable including medications and supplements. The government should establish more public maternal health centers that will cater to the specific needs of women in their reproductive age and pregnant people.
- Provide Options.
- We must decriminalize abortion especially in adolescent pregnancies as their bodies are still not ready to carry another life making their pregnancies more sensitive and at high risk of disease. This also includes making contraceptives and family planning more accessible to the youth and incorporating it to the educational curriculum.