Christine Angelica G.

Evangelista
2012-47375
Health as a Family Issue
In the Philippines, or anywhere in the world, Health is a major issue concerning the family and
society. It is a vast topic of discussion which encompasses the well-being of a person, from nutrition
and physical health to mental health. While the Philippine government is doing its part in improving
the countrys health status, various problems and concerns keep arising and/or could not be solved
right away. So, the process of improving the health situation in the country, in terms of facilities,
services, and benefits is still and should still be ongoing.
The following are some figures from the current Health Status Report of the Department of
Health (DOH).

Fig 1.1.Ten (10) Diseases with Highest Morbidity in the Philippines as of 2014

Fig 1.2. Ten (10) Leading Causes of Mortality in the Philippines as of 2013

Fig 1.3. Natality in the Philippines by month of occurrence as of 2013

As shown in the data above, diseases related to the respiratory system, namely tuberculosis
(TB), bronchitis, pneumonia, and acute respiratory infection belong to the top ten diseases with the
highest morbidity rates in the Philippines. While these type of diseases also belong to the top ten
leading causes of mortality, non-communicable diseases such as malignant neoplasms, diseases
related to the vascular system, and diseases of the heart topped the list in 2014.
As a member of the United Nations, the Philippines has agreed to the UN Millennium
Development Goals on September 2000, which was supposed to be achieved by 2015. These set of
goals include the following health-related goals with their corresponding targets:
(1) Reduce Child Mortality

a. Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate
(2) Improve Maternal Health
a. Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio
(3) Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other Diseases
a. Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
b. Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of Malaria and other
Major Diseases
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the health situation in the Philippines can
be summarized in three words: stagnation, inequality, and opportunity (WHO, 2014). Though the
Philippines have shown signs that each goal stated above was being achieved little by little, it was not
a very big improvement, or the quantitative aspects of each goal were not attained. One factor that
may have contributed to this is the prevailing poverty in many parts of the country. Poverty is
synonymous to having a low quality of life wherein most people are malnourished, have poor
immune systems, and are exposed to a lot of risk factors that increase the chances of contracting a
disease.
In this report, a few health issues, most of which chosen based on the statistics presented by
the Department of Health, will be discussed. The group looked into Maternal and Infant Health, the
HIV-AIDs Epidemic, Non-communicable diseases, Mental Health, and the Risk Factors that greatly
affect a single persons health, and can also affect the whole community.

Maternal and Infant Health

Maternal health care starts from prenatal period, continues up to childbirth, and extends to
the postpartum period. If not handled properly, complications may occur even in the early stages of
gestation, sometimes resulting to miscarriage, stillbirth or other congenital diseases. Major causes of
maternal morbidity and mortality include hemorrhage, infection, high blood pressure, unsafe
abortion, and obstructed labor (WHO, 2016).
In the Philippines, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is 114 per 100,000 live births as of
2015. This is 8% lower than the MMR in 2000 (DOH, 2015). This is a bit of improvement but this
healthcare aspect still needs attention from the government because there is a lot to improve on our
health system. This issue is very important and needs to be improved soon because this is the
foundation of a family. healthcare should not just be given to those who are already sick but every
mother and child should be properly taken care of because an ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure.
By properly coaching mothers, congenital diseases can be prevented because they will be
aware of the dos and don'ts during pregnancy. This should be addressed especially to those who do
not have access to proper healthcare due to the lack of budget. Family planning should also be

properly taught to the community in order to make people realize the possible dangers of conceiving
a child under different circumstances.
Right now, the DOH has programs specialized on maternal and infant healthcare. One is the
Safe Motherhood Program which aims to make pregnancy and childbirth safer. The program is trying
to improve the provision of quality emergency obstetrics facilities as it addresses critical health
concerns namely maternal and newborn health, adolescent health, family planning, and Sexually
Transmitted Infection (STI) prevention. (DOH, 2013)
Another is the Expanded Program on Immunization which ensures mothers and
infants/children are given vaccines for tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis,
hepatitis-B, influenza and measles. According to the Republic Act No. 10152, which is the mandatory
Infants and Children Health Immunization Act of 2011, the State shall adopt a comprehensive,
mandatory and sustainable immunization program for vaccine-preventable diseases for all infants and
children (Official Gazette, 2011).

HIV-AIDS Epidemic
According to the HIV/AIDS & ART(Anti-Retroviral Therapy) Registry of the Philippines (HARP),
there has been 841 newly reported HIV Ab seropositive individuals as of June 2016. Instead of
reduction, the number of reported cases increase everyday. Though the prevalence is still low, there
has been a 9% increase from last year (DOH,2009). The number spiked up from2008 to 2012, which
showed a 538% increase according to the Manila Times (2014). Reported modes of transmission were
sexual contact, needle sharing among injecting drug users, and mother-to-child transmission
(HARP,2016). This large increase could be actually due to the increased awareness and accessibility of
HIV Testing Centers which could be a good sign of progress but an unfavorable manifestation of our
countrys current health status.
The DOH currently has an HIV/STI Prevention Program which aims to reduce transmission of
the disease and to mitigate its effect on family, and the community. According to the Department of
Health (2014), the following strategies are currently done to accomplish the goal.:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Availability of free voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing Service;

100% Condom Use Program (CUP) especially for entertainment establishments;
Peer education and outreach;
Multi-sectoral coordination through Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC);
Empowerment of communities;
Community assemblies and for a to reduce stigma;
Augmentation of resources of social Hygiene Clinics; and
Procured male condoms distributed as education materials during outreach.

Non-communicable Diseases
This issue involves the leading causes of mortality in the Philippines which are diseases of the
heart, diseases of the vascular system and malignant neoplasms. These are also called lifestyle
diseases as they can be developed due to bad eating habits and/or other unhealthy practices such as
smoking, and excessive consumption of alcohol. A solution to these medical issues would be to tackle
the actual risk factors that greatly contribute to the development of the disease. Also, proper diet and
engaging in healthy activities should be encouraged.
Cancer is a leading cause of mortality in the country but some types could be prevented.
Research suggests that only 5% of cancers are hereditary, which means that ones lifestyle greatly
affects the overall cancer risk of a person. Preventable cancers include breast cancer, cervical cancer,
colorectal cancer, liver cancer,lung cancer, oral cancer, prostate cancer, and skin cancer (Prevent
Cancer Foundation, 2015). Some of these types have available vaccination while some can be
prevented by decreasing the risk factors of a person.
The Philippine Government launched a program called Universal Healthcare or Kalusugang
Pangkalahatan in 2010. It aims to provide every Filipino the highest possible quality of healthcare
that is accessible, efficient, equitably distributed, adequately funded, fairly financed, and
appropriately used by an informed, and empowered public (Philippine Health Insurance Corporation,
2015)

Mental Health
In a survey conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in 2000, results show an average
of 88 reported cases of mental illness per 100,000 Filipinos. According to a Social Weather Stations
(SWS) survey, 0.7% of the total household in the Philippines have a member with mental disability as
of 2004.
The most reported cases of mental illness are often linked with familial or hereditary mental
disorders including schizophrenia alongside with mental illness linked with psychosocial development.
What is more surprising is that a World Health Organization study revealed that in three primary
health centers in Manila, one out of 5 adults and one out of 10 children ages 5 to 15 consulting to
these centers have mental disorders (Department of Health, 2005).

Risk Factors
According to the World Health Organization(2016), a risk factor is any attribute, characteristic
or exposure of an individual that increases the likelihood of developing a disease or injury. Common
risk factors are malnutrition, use of illegal drugs, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, unsafe
water, sanitation, and hygiene.

In the Philippines, it was noted that substance abuse (narcotic drugs, other chemicals, etc.)
are the leading direct and indirect causes of mental illness (DOH, 2005). The Philippine chronic
malnutrition rate among children aged 0 to 2 was at 26.2% as of 2015 (FNRI, 2015). While these risk
factors can be avoided by a person, the other factors need to be addressed by the national and local
government bodies to improve the health situation in the country.

References:
Department of Health, (2005). National Objectives for Health Philippines 2005-2010 |Department of
Health. Manila, Philippines: Department of Health.
"Safe Motherhood Program | Department of Health Website." doh.gov.ph. Department of Health,
2016. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.
Govph. "Republic Act No. 10152 | GOVPH." Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. N.p.,
2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
"Newly Diagnosed HIV Cases in the Philippines" HIV-AIDS Registry of the Philippines, Mar. 2016.
Web.16 Oct. 2016.
"HIV/STI Prevention Program | Department of Health Website." Doh.gov.ph. Department of Health,
2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2016.
Preventable Cancers." Prevent Cancer Foundation. N.p., 14 Sept. 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
"Membership Track." PhilHealth. Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, 2015. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.