THE Population Commission (PopCom) in Northern Mindanao has started a new function that aimed to support the Department of Health (DOH) and Barangay Health Workers deliver reproductive health services by allowing its in-house nurses administer sub-dermal contraceptives.
PopCom regional director Jeremias Gupit, said that this is so far the first in the country after recent organizational changes that made his agency aligned with DOH.
"We're also doing this to draw public awareness of this particular (birth control) method, but just to let the public know there are also other methods available," he said.
The sub-dermal implant, which the DOH used named "Implanol," was a birth control contraceptive that is injected under the skin layers of female clients. Only it will be fully effective after seven days from implant, and would last up to three years of efficacy.
Gupit said that they sourced the contraceptives from DOH, which was already purchased in 2015 but was temporarily halted by the Supreme Court because of a temporary restraining order. It was only last year that the TRO was lifted and DOH began administering Implanol to mothers, as the expiration date will be in March 2019.
But he assured that after three years, the clients can still renew for another implant as DOH would continue purchasing such contraceptives based on allocated budget annually.
In the region, there are already 1,079 clients who availed the sub-dermal implant. And between July and mid-August this year, there were about 729.