PhilHealth Helps Promote Facility-based Births Instead of Home-birthing For Pregnant Mothers

The Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth) has said it is also involved in promoting facility-based births instead of “home-based births” as part of the effort aimed at reducing maternal deaths in the country.

In a “Kapihan with the PCEO” at the City State Tower Hotel in Pasig City on Friday, PhilHealth president Atty. Alexander Padilla said that the agency is providing maternal package benefits to pregnant women giving birth in primary birthing clinics and not only in hospitals

“Malaki ang binabayaran namin sa newborn package, kasama na rin dito ang Cesarian and spontaneous delivery… Mas mataas ang binabayaran namin sa primary birthing facilities kaysa sa hospitals, at ang logic noon is dahil sabi ng World health Organization (WHO) mas mabuting magkaroon ng facility-based birth kaysa sa home-based, at baka hindi rin sila (pregnant mothers) makapunta ng hospital kasi baka malayo,” Padilla said.

He said that since there are mothers who are still choosing to give birth at home, they responded to the WHO call to come out with encouragement in order to entice the pregnant women in far and hard-to-reach places to choose giving birth in maternity clinics.

“Ang ginawa namin ay we gave more incentives to birthing homes na makuha nila yung benefit ng panganganak na P8,000, at kasama na doon ang prenatal care na anim na beses pupunta sa birthing homes,” he added.

He said that birthing clinics, in partnership with local government units (LGUS) and other partners, are also exerting different efforts to encourage usage of such facilities by coming out with different sets of programs supporting the use of such birthing clinics that can be replicated in other places.

Utilization of birthing clinics is being pushed by the Department of Health (DOH) in order to reduce maternal and infant deaths and to avoid birthing complication, especially in places where there is still shortage of health facilities

Meanwhile, a study conducted by UNICEF Philippines, together with the University of Queensland in Australia and the Medical University of Graz in Austria, found that death rates among newborn babies and children under five years old in poor families are still high despite its overall decline in the Philippines.

According to the study, the death rate of newborns is considered a good indicator of a country’s health status, and that the Philippines has made significant progress in reducing the mortality rates of newborn babies on a national average with a rate of 19 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013.

The number has decreased from the 29 deaths per 1,000 live births back in 2003.

Likewise, death rates of children under five years old also went down to 30 deaths per 1,000 children in 2012 from 40 deaths back in 2003.

However, the researchers stressed that the national average does not reflect the situation in the other regions of the country.

To ensure that such health gaps are addressed, the DOH, with the support of PhilHealth and other partners, is engaging in spreading awareness on the importance of giving birth in birthing facilities and prohibiting the traditional birth attendants (TBAs) from performing birth- giving procedures.

At present, the TBAs are being utilized as supporting mechanisms to entice and assist the pregnant mothers to go to the birthing clinics and be the ones that will take care of them before and after giving birth in the health facility or birthing clinics in partnership with some LGUs and concerned organizations in the country. (PNA) SCS/LSJ