Making Pregnancy Safer

Making Pregnancy Safer

Making Pregnancy Safer

by Razel Elwyn Calata -
Number of replies: 0

Answer the following and post your answers here. Cite references of your answers as much as possible. 

  1. In response to Making Pregnancy Safer, what are the current programs in the country to address maternal mortality and morbidity? Cite at least 1. 

       To reduce maternal mortality and morbidity in the Philippines, programs were established such as: 

1. The Department of Health’s National Safe Motherhood Program envisions Filipino women with full access to health services towards making their pregnancy and delivery safer. The program aims to provide rational and responsive policy direction in the delivery of quality maternal and newborn health services with integrity and accountability using proven and innovative approaches (DOH, 2018). 

    The program’s objectives are as follow (DOH, 2018):

      1. To establish a sustainable, cost-effective approach of delivering health services that ensure access of disadvantaged women to acceptable and high-quality maternal and newborn health through collaboration with the LGUs. 

      2. To establish a core knowledge base and support systems that facilitate the delivery of quality maternal and newborn health services in the country. 

The program’s services include (DOH, 2018):

      1. Philhealth Benefit Package - this package includes a maternity care benefit package and a newborn care benefit package. 

      2. Training - this involves: (1) Basic emergency obstetric and newborn care for doctors and nurses; (2) Basic emergency obstetric and newborn care for midwives; (3) Maternal death surveillance and response.

      3. Implementation Support Materials - these materials include: (1) Pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and newborn care (PCPNC) manual; (2) BEmONC module for midwives; (3) Maternal death reporting and review system: A Guide to LGU Users.  

2. The Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP) in the Philippines is a 21-month program that aims to address the unmet need for postpartum family planning in the country. This is because the unmet need for effective family planning services is shown to be a major contributor to the incidence of maternal mortality. Its activities include (USAID, 2015): 

      1. Advocacy for PPFP/PPIUD that aims to create a favorable environment for family planning in support of DOH. An advocacy paper will be developed in collaboration with other agencies for repositioning PPFP/PPIUD with PPIUD as an integral method for PPFP.

      2. Resources for service delivery and training for PPFP/PPIUD 

      3. Support to discrete activities on Maternal and Newborn health

      4. MCHIP-Philippines will also be partnering with the Regional Integrated MNCHN-FP Scale Up projects all over the Philippines. 

3. The Maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition (MNCHN) services aim to rapidly reduce maternal and neonatal deaths. The strategy aims to achieve the following results immediately (DOH, 2011):

      1. Every pregnancy is wanted, planned, and supported;

      2. Every pregnancy is adequately managed throughout its course;

      3. Every delivery is facility-based and managed by skilled birth attendants/skilled health professionals; and

      4. Every mother and newborn pair secures proper postpartum and newborn care with smooth transitions to the women’s health care package for the mother and child survival package for the newborn.

  1. What can you suggest in order to decrease our maternal mortality and morbidity in the country? Give at least 3 suggestions.

    1. Promotion of preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum care - Preconception care is vital in ensuring a healthy pregnancy and positive pregnancy outcomes. This includes the provision of education to women with the gestational requirements, individualized personal care, as well as exposure and avoidance measures to make a substantial difference in their pregnancy outcomes. Postpartum checkups for possible abnormal bleeding or infection can make all the difference to a woman after pregnancy. This can also equip mothers with the knowledge which they can use to care for themselves as well as seek the care they may need. 

    2. Regular training of healthcare professionals - this will help enhance the ability of our healthcare providers to assist in Public Health service delivery, especially on women’s health and safe motherhood. With sufficient skills and knowledge, maternal mortality may be greatly decreased. 

    3. Provision of ensured and safe access to contraceptives and different family planning methods - Avoiding unwanted pregnancies is vital to avoid maternal deaths. 

    4. Further development of laws and policies to strategically prevent or decrease maternal mortality and morbidity. Such laws and policies may also help strengthen and improve the healthcare system’s response to maternal and child care needs through proper allocation of funds and better practice of health protocols concerning pregnancy. 

References:

Department of Health. (2011). Department of Health MNCHN Strategy. Retrieved March 18, 2022, from https://doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/publications/MNCHNMOPMay4withECJ.pdf 

Department of Health. (2018, October 17). National Safe Motherhood Program: Department of Health Website. National Safe Motherhood Program | Department of Health website. Retrieved March 18, 2022, from https://doh.gov.ph/national-safe-motherhood-program 

U.S. Agency for International Development. (2015, September 14). Maternal and child health integrated program (MCHIP) - Philippines. U.S. Agency for International Development. Retrieved March 18, 2022, from https://www.usaid.gov/philippines/health/mchip