Proposed safe motherhood law endorsed to CDO Health Board

By Elaine O. Ratunil

Saturday 14th of July 2012

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, July 14 (PIA) -- The City Council Committee on Health and Sanitation proposed the ordinance establishing safe motherhood policies in the city during its July 12 meetinh.

Authored by Councilor Dante Pajo, the proposed law aims to address the high maternal and infant mortalities.

It encourages facility-based delivery to every pregnant mother and discourages birth delivery at home.

The proposed legislation provides that every birth delivery should neither be attended nor assisted by a traditional birth attendant without a direct supervision of a skilled birth attendant.

The skilled birth attendant shall be the primary attendant while the traditional birth attendant shall assist the primary attendant.

It urges every family to ensure that their pregnant mothers are seen by a skilled birth attendant. Members of the family shall provide support for the pregnant mother and shall refer the pregnant mother to the nearest facility or to a facility of her choice for antenatal care, childbirth and postnatal care.

The proposed law requires barangay health centers to provide an affordable, safe and quality care for normal birth delivery and free and quality services for antenatal and postnatal care.

The center will also be mandated to install a pregnant tracking system to ensure that every pregnant mother in the community is seen by a skilled birth attendant.

For its part, the City Health Office shall provide adequate technical and logistics support in providing safe and quality maternal and child health services. It shall also ensure adequate resources for health centers to operate effectively and efficiently.

The president of the Misamis Oriental Medical Society, representatives of the J.R. Borja General Hospital, City Health Office, City Legal Office, City Budget Office, Department of Education, International Midwives Association of the Philippines (IMAP), and barangay chairmen of Canitoan, Balubal participated in discussions on the proposed legislation during the meeting yesterday. (JBD/CdeOSP/PIA10)