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Friday, May 16, 2003
DOH project on women extended until end of 2003
By Dani Mae Manuel
THE Department of Health's (DOH) Women's Health and Safe Motherhood Project, which aims to recognize the central role of women in the lives and health of the family and the community, will be extended up to December of this year.
The project was originally set to be concluded September last year but Rogelio Carreon Jr., co-manager of the said project, said the project was extended to help teach the DOH and other partner local government units (LGU) on how to further implement the project. Carreon said the project was also extended for it to be institutionalized and to go into the mainstream.
Carreon added that the program will continue to "empower women and to identify and articulate the needs of the mother by going directly into the communities."
The other projects of the DOH in line with women's health are the institutionalization of the mortality audit, referral systems, district health systems, bloodletting program, capability building of health workers, campaigns for the spacing of birth and financing schemes.
Dr. Elvira Belingon said the mortality audit or review would be implemented to address the high mortality rate of women in the Cordillera. Belingon said that all provinces in CAR have been oriented about this program.
Belingon said, "Every cause or factors affecting the death of pregnant women such as equipment, supplies, personnel and others as such should be reviewed to prevent maternal deaths in the future."
The building of referral systems in the communities will also be implemented. These community-based referral systems, according to Belingon, will serve as support systems for pregnant women.
She explained that lack of referral or transportation systems is a leading cause of deaths in pregnant women and that this program will serve "as a mechanism to transport these women so that delays in their pregnancy, which causes death, will be prevented."
The bloodletting program of the DOH will also be strengthened because according to Belingon, post-partum hemorrhage or bleeding after delivery is another leading cause of maternal health. This problem can be corrected "if there is available blood and if there is a list of donors who can be tapped."
The DOH will also have capability building of health workers to address the problem of women's health by offering and conducting refresher courses and on-the-job training of health workers.
Campaigns for the spacing of births and other family planning methods of the DOH will also continue. Belingon said this campaign will continue to enable "women to recover their health after giving birth and so that they will be able to attend to the needs of their child before having another baby."
Community-based financing scheme programs are being encouraged by the DOH to be able to address the financial needs of women when it comes to their health.
Belingon said cooperative pharmacies have been already been put up by various communities to address the health needs of women and their families.
(May 16, 2003 issue)
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