STANDARDS FOR IMPROVING QUALITY OF MATERNAL AND NEWBORN

CARE IN HEALTH

Date: April 6, 2020

NAME: Trisha Jay Jao-Suaybaguio, RN

PERSONAL INSIGHTS

No woman should die giving life. Yet every year a lot of women

and girls die in the Philippines from preventable causes related to

pregnancy and childbirth. According to United Nation (UN), around the

world, birth is a joyous occasion. Yet, every 11 seconds, a birth is a

family tragedy. Eradicating preventable maternal deaths is a human

rights imperative.

The Philippines faces unique challenges in aligning its health

system with the needs of its inhabitants mainly because of the

country's geography and income distribution. Many communities are

located in isolated mountain regions of the country or in coastal areas

that are difficult to reach. Also, there are wide disparities in the use of

health services across income levels.

The Government of the Philippines has placed health (in general)

and maternal health (in particular) high on its political agenda of

reform. Thus the Department of Health (DOH) launched the innovative

women's health and safe motherhood project 2, this project shifted the
emphasis from identifying and treating high-risk pregnancies to

preparing all women for potential obstetric complications.

In my 2 years of serving in the community as Barangay Health

Nurse; I myself witnessed that there are few mothers who gave birth in

their home because they could not afford hospital expenses. In line

with this, the Philippine Government has been seeking ways for low-

income families to access this critical health care, including by

subsidizing the cost of joining PhilHealth-the national health insurance

program. Giving birth at a facility with a skilled attendant greatly

increases the chances of survival for both mother and baby.

It is my job as a Community Health Nurse to educate the mother

and father for a safer delivery. Today, we have 4 accredited safe

birthing facilities in Tagum City. Women in Tagum City can safely and

affordably give birth at different facilities. Couples can receive family

planning and counseling services, too. Everybody was happy that they

could give birth and afford all of this care.

The Philippine Government are continually improving our

services and providing for more people's health needs. Moreover, the

Philippine Government had been working to reduce maternal and

infant deaths and help couples access quality family planning

services.

In my own opinion, the overall improvement in nurse-midwives'

practices are very significant in giving the quality care. This practices
should be strengthened such as prevention of prolonged labor, as well

as essential newborn care. Also, the importance of available

workforce, infrastructure and supplies, of strengthening the role of

leadership and continuous quality assurance and improvement, as well

as of strengthening the overall health system to achieve the full

advantages in implementing the standards.