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Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Marie’s care for women
By Leticia Suarez-Orendain
Community Force
There is an oasis in busy T. Padilla st. where women of all ages can seek quality health care.
It is a clinic that is working for the sexual and reproductive healthcare of women.
The Marie Stopes Clinic, a non-government organization (NGO), is like an oasis for the eyes and the sick body.
You are soothed by the bubble gum pink and French blue speckled walls, and prints by European painters, and the soft terracotta colored sofa.
It feels like a private air-conditioned clinic.
Function and beauty are combined on purpose.
Just because it caters to the poor, sweepingly called the C and D group, doesn’t mean the facilities and services are lowly. These are details that underscore Marie’s care for women.
Evelyn Ramos, area manager, said that their services are medical check-up or consultation, pregnancy test, Pap smear plus (i.e. combines regular Pap smear, urine analysis and breast and pelvic examinations); menstrual problems, VD/STD treatment, family planning advice, contraceptives, and ligation. They have also advocacy and health education.
Once a month, they conduct an outreach in various towns and provinces like Bohol.
Open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., anyone is welcome, even those who are not from the nearby community. There are Marie Stopes clinics in Mandaue and Talisay.
Fees are as low as P200 (for the Pap smear plus) as the clinic subsidizes the service. Laboratory alone can cost P100, urinalysis between P50 and P75, so this package is a big blessing.
Ramos said the clinic’s headquarters are in Manila. “The name of our organization is Population Service Pilipinas, Inc. (PSPI). Project ang clinic nga naay 14 branches all over the Philippines.
“Marie Stopes was an activist and advocate for women’s reproductive health rights in London. Marie Stopes International (MSI) is named after her because of her work.
PSPI, founded in 1991, is a Filipino NGO. The project director is Virgilio Pernito. He linked up with MSI to put up a clinic in Manila.”
They once had outside support, but now they are fully Filipino. The clinic in Cebu opened in 2000.
Services. They have doctors on call like Eileen Apurillo, Atina Lacaba, and Nimfa Nuevas.
There are three full-time workers, including Ramos, plus two service providers who are trained midwives. “Pero dili mi mopa-deliver og babies.”
v If during the check-up a woman is diagnosed with a reproductive tract infection and sexually transmitted disease (STD) like gonorrhea or vaginitis, she is given immediate treatment.
Ramos said that vaginitis has three common types: trichomoniasis, candidiasis and bacterial vaginosis. Of 10 women who undergo Pap smear, about one-half have one form of vaginitis.
“It can be acquired even from over-cleaning, and panty shields or allergy to soap and tissue.”
v Aside from pregnancy tests, they take Pap smear plus.
“For cases beyond our scope we refer them to other centers and doctors we link with.”
v Unbelievably contraception still meets resistance. In spite of some families in the community having many children, Ramos said that some husbands feel restricted or have heard myths about an intrauterine device sticking to a baby’s head.
“It takes a lot of persuasion before they agree to one form of contraception.”
v “We go to the community to conduct health education and lectures,” Ramos said.
They have a tie up with the barangay health worker in Pasil, Ermita, and Kalunasan.
The lessons on violence against women and their rights last 30 minutes to one hour. They discuss family planning and the types available.
The NGO has started to educate the men. “We start with the men of the community who are in leadership. We meet with the barangay officials and tanods to discuss elimination of violence against women (Evaw). In San Nicholas we had a seminar discussing forms of violence, and reproductive rights of women.”
They have lectured in schools like the University of Cebu to the reserved officers training course (ROTC) students about sexually transmitted disease (STD).
One problem they meet is gender bias. Because the topic is reproductive health, the men think that only women should attend the meeting. The clinic is slowly changing that attitude.
(December 16, 2003 issue)
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