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.
2. What can you suggest in order to decrease our maternal mortality and morbidity in the country? Give at least 3 suggestions.
1. A program for promoting maternal and child health (MCH) between the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and DOH in Cordillera is notable considering that it had been seen and used as a model for similar MCH projects in other regions. The project helped the region through proactive delivery of health care and neonatal services in MCH. Due to its proactive approach, quality control, and health promotion, the region saw a drop in its maternal mortality ratio from 65 per 100,000 live births in 2010 to 45 in 2015.
2. As existing programs such as the JICA-DOH Maternal and Child Health Program had shown, one effective way of decreasing maternal mortality and morbidity would be for regions to implement robust plans focused on being proactive towards cases and causes of maternal mortality and morbidity in each community. Since data for many of these regions already exist, provision of MCH services and plans appropriate for their respective communities is a vital first step. Another way would be through launching more programs or initiatives for health promotion and health education. This is also important considering that significant factors contributing to maternal deaths are also rooted in a lack of knowledge, awareness, or motivation in utilizing healthcare services for preventing complications during and after pregnancy. Lastly, the government and local government units should subsidize maternal and child health facilities and improve access to cost-effective resources or services for MCH.