Complete childbirth services for Filipino mothers sought

AS THE country celebrates National Women’s Month, Deputy Speaker and Las Piñas City Rep. Camille Villar called anew for the passage of a measure that seeks to improve maternal and newborn care and provide maximum safeguards to Filipino mothers at the time of their childbirths.

Villar’s House Bill 5684 or An Act Safeguarding the Health of Filipino Mothers at the Time of Their Childbirth aims to reduce maternal deaths by providing birthing facilities for every barangay in the country.

“It is only imperative that the government give priority to pregnant mothers and their newborn, especially the underprivileged women, to help reduce their risk and somewhat ease the difficulty of their childbirth,” Villar said in a statement Wednesday.

“We have an important duty to protect the lives of mothers and the unborn and we seek to provide comprehensive childbirth services to them to address maternal or neonatal problems,” she added.

In pushing for the passage of the measure, Villar pointed out that reducing maternal deaths forms part of the Sustainable Development Goals, but available data indicated that the number of women dying from childbirth is actually increasing.

Records from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that maternal deaths increased to 1,616 in 2018 compared with 1,484 in 2017.

Region 4-A composed of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon or Calabarzon recorded the highest number of maternal deaths with 245 cases, or a 10.36-percent increase from 222 cases in 2017.

Region 7 (Central Visayas composed of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor provinces) registered 230 maternal deaths while National Capital Region or Metro Manila had 195 deaths for the same period.

If enacted into law, HB 5684 mandates that “no maternity hospital, clinic, health center, lying-in, midwifery facilities or similar center, public or private, shall deny or refuse to assist, admit or entry of a mother at the time of childbirth.”

These facilities or centers shall also ensure the highest safety mechanism to prevent child switching, child trafficking or the commission of any crime that may lead to the endangering of the lives of both mother and child.

The measure also requires local government units (LGUs) to upgrade and improve devolved health services and medical facilities to provide adequate and quality emergency obstetric care.

It likewise provides that every barangay in the country should have a birthing facility to help reduce the risk of maternal and infant deaths.

Local health clinics, health offices and satellite offices of the Department of Health (DOH) are “encouraged” to provide 24-hour assistance to Filipino mothers.

The measure further empowers LGUs to formulate programs that would promote the increase in salaries and incentives of health workers.

The DOH, in coordination with the Professional Regulation Commission and the relevant organization of midwives shall further professionalize the practice of midwifery in the country and empower them to be key health care professionals in providing care to mothers and newborns. (Jose Cielito Reganit)