DAVAO CITY — In a move to highlight persistent threats to maternal health, the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) has identified hypertension in pregnancy and postpartum hemorrhage as the leading causes of maternal deaths in the Davao Region.
SPMC Obstetrics and Gynecology Department head, medical doctor Mary Lee Lim, said these two complications consistently top the list of life-threatening conditions among pregnant women handled by the hospital, with 10 maternal deaths recorded in the region from January to April 2025 alone.
“For the cases that we encounter, number one sa list namin is hypertension. ‘Yon po ‘yong pinaka-common. Those are our patients na number one sa list ng mortality. And then next is postpartum hemorrhage. Yon po ‘yong dalawang common causes of mortality (For the cases that we encounter, number one on our list is hypertension. That’s the most common. These are the patients who are at the top of our mortality list. Next is postpartum hemorrhage. Those are the two common causes of mortality),” Lim said.
Lim also pointed out that one of the major barriers is patient attitude, especially among those who believe they can deliver at home without assistance. This mindset has been linked to complications in previous cases reviewed by the department.
SPMC remains the only Obstetric Institute in the Philippines — a distinction that reflects its role as a referral center for high-risk pregnancies across Mindanao.
In 2024, the hospital registered 13,449 deliveries, with many patients referred from Davao del Sur, Caraga Region, and other areas.
Despite the increasing number of cases, SPMC continues to uphold its no-refusal policy.
“We have the whole building catering to women of Davao and other parts of Mindanao. We do not refuse patients; we accept all patients, even puno na,” Lim said. PIA DAVAO