THE Davao City Health Office (CHO) opened another lying-in center in Bunawan District.
The establishment is the sixth lying-in center of the city. The centers aimed to serve all communities with skilled birthing staff as well as clean and accredited facilities.
CHO head Dr. Josephine Villafuerte said government-run lying-in centers are very helpful in the campaign to lessen the threats of deaths of mothers and newborn babies.
CHO, thus, hopes a decrease on infant and maternal mortality rate from childbirth.
“In 2014, infant mortality rate in the city was at 8.9 per 1000 live births. In 2015, it rose to 9.5 per 1000 live births because of postnatal complications,” Villafuerte said.
According to dictionary.com, infant mortality rate is the number of deaths in the first year of life to the number of live births occurring in the same population during the same period of time.
Maternal mortality rate, on the other hand, dropped from 85 per 100,000 live births in 2014 to 55 per 100,000 live births in 2015.
Maternal mortality rate is the number of registered maternal deaths due to birth- or pregnancy-related complications per 100,000 registered live births., according to medicinenet.com.
“We are expected to provide excellent health services to the public. For pregnant mothers and their children, our services are aimed at providing quality prenatal, newborn care, and other services that are needed to ensure that both mother and child are safe,” said Villafuerte.
She said the local government always ensures that the government-funded birthing centers were clean and safe to protect both the birth attendants and the mothers and their newborns.
The Bunawan center will be the newest addition to the birthing facilities located in Tibungco, Agdao, and the far-flung villages of Marilog, Malabog, and Paquibato.
The birthing centers in Tibungco and Paquibato have their own ambulances ready to ferry patients to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in cases of emergencies.
The Marilog facility, meanwhile, is linked with Central 911. (CCC)