Stakeholder Consultation: State of Maternal Health and Nutrition in the PH

STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION
ON THE STATE OF MATERNAL HEALTH AND
NUTRITION IN THE PHILIPPINES
26 November 2019
Development Academy of the Philippines

Stakeholder Consultation on the State of Maternal Health and Nutrition in the Philippines 2
Introduction
This report summarizes the presentations and discussions in a recently concluded consultation led by
the KABAYAN Party list on the state of maternal health and nutrition in the Philippines.
The KABAYAN Party list, in partnership with the Development Academy of the Philippines and the
British Chevening Alumni Foundation of the Philippines, Inc., undertook an assessment with various
stakeholders from different sectors on November 26, 2019 at the Development Academy of the
Philippines. Consultations were held with representatives from the Department of Health of the
Philippines, National Nutrition Council, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Food and Drug
Administration, House of Representatives, Ilocos Medical Center, Pampanga Health Office, and
affiliate organizations of the KABAYAN Party list, among other invited stakeholders.
The stakeholder consultation aimed to gather experts and opinion leaders who can contribute to a
multi-sectoral and expert discussion on maternal health and nutrition. In particular, it sought to
establish the state of maternal health in the Philippines, determine the sufficiency of available
programs to resolve problem areas, and assessed the need for better policies or healthcare programs.
The consultation explored necessary future interventions to address gaps, most especially those that
require immediate and urgent attention.
Over the course of the consultation, five key resource persons shared their perspectives and insights
on the state of maternal health and nutrition. Dr. Jondi Flavier, Chairman of the Board of the
Cooperative Movement for Encouraging NSV (CMEN), and former Executive Director of the
Philippine Center for Population and Development, led the discussion on State of Women and
Maternal Health in the Philippines; Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire, Assistant Secretary under the Public
Health Services Team of the Department of Health, shed light on Understanding Women’s Mental
Health; Dr. Unity H. Cortez, Chief of Clinics from the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center
provided grassroot observations with her discussion on Maternal Health and Nutrition as Observed in
Hospitals; Dr. Ricardo Ramos, the Head Consultant from the Provincial Health Office of Tarlac
shared insights on Maternal Health and Nutrition: A Pragmatist’s Perspective; and, Dr. Jewehl Gay
R. Salo, the Family Medicine Consultant from the Development Academy of the Philippines
provided insights as a mother with her discussion on Understanding Mothers’ Point of View.

Key Findings
Government needs stakeholder participation to promote better
maternal health and well-being
During the discussion of Dr. Flavier, heavy emphasis was placed on the need for more stakeholders to
be involved when it comes to the advocacy of maternal health noting the slow improvements in the
country’s realization of the Millennium Development Goal for Maternal Health and the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goal for Health and Well-Being. Dr. Flavier emphasized the need
for ‘better and innovative solutions’ to improve the current situation. He also called on the private
sector to seek ways to be involved in promoting maternal health for the sake of the mothers, infants
and young children.
Dr. Vergeire acknowledged that stakeholder consultations are helpful particularly those that are
spearheaded by sectors external to the Department of Health. She also highlighted how more local
government units (LGUs) are receptive in supporting the maternal health programs of the
Department of Health including the “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act”, more popularly
known as the “First 1000 Days law”. Dr. Vergeire also noted that there are currently ongoing
dialogues with infant formula milk companies.
On a grassroots perspective, Dr. Cortez highlighted that broad sectoral support is needed for the
country to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Ensure healthy lives and
promote well-being for all at all ages) given that there are certain gaps in the government system, and
that there are programs which would require support from other stakeholders.
Maternal health plays an important role in achieving optimum
nutrition for their family and children.
JR Santiago noted on his opening remarks message that a hungry and an unhealthy mother will not be
able to care for her child properly.
Dr. Ramos noted in his talk that mothers should be aware of their state of health, which includes
physical, mental and social health, before pregnancy as maternal nutrition should cover all aspects of
the maternal journey starting from prenatal period, when they are about to give birth, postpartum and
lactation stage.
Dr. Cortez discussed during her presentation that mothers should be aware of their proper BMI
before they get pregnant and during their pregnancy as large differences could be due to maternal
hypertension, infection, anemia, fetal growth restriction and congenital anomalies during pregnancy.

During her talk, Dr. Salo pointed out the need for mothers to have time for themselves and to be
aware of the importance of being mentally healthy in order to be better parents for their children. For
her, being a mother made her a better doctor as she was able to empathize better with her patients.
Mothers should be empowered to make the right choices to allow
them to balance their health and well-being with the needs of their
children.
Dr. Salo drew from her experiences and her encounters with other mothers how they experience a lot
of societal pressures when it comes to motherhood which they have difficulty in meeting because of
challenges they face. She cited that certain policies in place aren’t also supportive nor recognize the
reality that Filipino women across different backgrounds face. With the rise of social media, even, Dr.
Salo noted that women and mothers even face further pressure and heavily emphasized that mothers
should be measured based on how committed they are to their children and not based on social
constructs and policies set by other people.
The sentiment was also supported by Dr. Cortez with her encounters with mothers in the hospital.
She noted that more women in Ilocos need more mental and social support given their experiences,
especially those with postpartum depression. She noted that strong family support could help women.
At the same time, even online community groups for women could benefit them, even amongst
mothers, given that they could potentially find support they need. Dr. Cortez also noted that there
needs to be more practicing psychiatrists in the field to support those struggling with mental health
issues.
Dr. Vergeire noted that the Department of Health has strategies in place to support women’s health
and even mental health with the recent passage of the Universal Healthcare Law. She also mentioned
that the government has funds for mothers in disaster-stricken areas. During the earthquake in
Mindanao, DOH dispatched workers who were trained to do maternal and mental health counselling
for children and mothers in evacuation areas, as well as provide commodities for them. Apart from
this, DOH endeavors to provide wet nurses and milk banks in cases of calamities to support mothers.
Dr. Flavier noted that mothers need support in evacuation sites as mothers in disaster-stricken areas
experience more stress in terms of being able to provide milk for their babies. He also cited that part
of empowering mothers and women is empowering men and breaking antiquated concepts of gender
roles.

Men and boys as part of the solution
Dr. Flavier tackled the importance of involving men and recognizing that they are part of the solution
when it comes to maternal health and the nutrition of infants. Particularly, Dr. Flavier cited that for
any maternal or women’s health programs, men have to be involved, noting that when men take a
more active role, programs become more productive and yield better results.
Examples cited by Dr. Flavier include men accompanying their wives to hospital visits, fathers
personally taking their children for vaccines, and the like.

Opening Remarks
Mr. Celso Santiago, Managing Director of the Institutional Marketing Center
Good morning everyone!
To KABAYAN Party list Representative Ron Salo, to the members
of the Chevening Alumni Foundation, to the different stakeholders
who are here, other key leaders, heads and officers from various
government agencies, our participants, esteemed guests and fellow
workers in government, good morning and welcome to the D.A.P
and to the stakeholder consultation on the state of maternal health
and nutrition.
It is my distinct honor to welcome you all to D.A.P., where
generations of leaders have come before us in the same journey you
find yourselves today, consulting and listening to those we serve so
we can come up with better policies, so we can become the best public servants, and so that we can
better serve the Filipino.
Allow me to commend you for putting focus on the important issue of mental health and nutrition.
Being a husband and a father in a society like ours, I cannot begin to imagine what my wife and the
millions of Filipino mothers go through and overcome on a daily basis to be good parents. In our
society, especially among the poorest of the poor where mothers often play dual roles of a parent and
provider, it is of utmost importance that we have policies and systems in place to not only protect
mothers but also create environments that will allow them to thrive, to be productive and to build
loving homes.
Because a hungry mother is unable to care for her family. And a sick mother is unable to bring
comfort to her sick child. And apart from ensuring their physical health, let us not forgot to give the
same attention and focus on their mental health as well. Because a depressed mother will be too busy
fighting the darkness, and her sadness will consume her that the only cries she will hear are her own
and not her child’s. This is why what you will do here today matters. It matters to the mothers, the
backbone of our society. It matters to their children. It matters to our nation. And it matters for our
collective future.
So, in the next few hours, I ask you to remember them. And the important discussion you will have
today, let us learn, understand and co-create new ideas and innovations so we can help address the
problems that mothers, and their children face in our barangays, cities, provinces and our nation.
Together, let us all listen to our resource persons and each other to understand new concepts new

ideas, new paradigms and new ways of thinking. And I urge each one of you to welcome the
opportunity to apply everything you will learn here when you go back to your agencies and your
communities.
We are all looking forward to seeing how you will come up with innovations on how to uplift the lives
of the mothers in our country. It is our fervent hope that what you will learn here and apply in your
work will become your contribution to making their lives better, your part in nation building, your
contribution to future generations, and your legacy.
Together, let us also empower each other and our partners so we can all play our roles in doing the
important work ahead. Together, let us also build more partnerships and a wider network where we
can help each other help more in this age of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.
But as with any journey of self-improvement I know what I’m asking is easier said than done. This will
not be a walk in the park. It will be full of challenges, sacrifice and of course, hard work. But believe
me, it will all be worth it.
All the work that we will put in as we engage in this exchange of ideas will all be worth the effort
when you see that you’re able to effectively apply all your learnings here in your areas of influence. So,
I urge you, learn from each challenge. Learn from each difficulty and learn from each other. I urge you
as well to relish each experience as you craft solutions and innovations but more importantly,
celebrate each victory as you overcome each challenge you face in ensuring that our mothers have
access to the healthcare, nutrition and protection they deserve. Do not be daunted, however, as we
will be with you each and every step of the way.
Your D.A.P. family will be here for you. You’re one of us now. Your success is our success, and
remember, we’re all in this together.
Let me end by saying that we’re all very happy that you all decided to take on the challenge of
becoming better leaders and we welcome you to this journey. We are all rooting for you and we wish
you the best of luck. Today, we honor your service. We honor your commitment and we honor you.
Again, welcome to D.A.P. and good morning to you all!

Keynote Speech
Hon. Ron P. Salo, KABAYAN Party List Representative
Good morning to all of you. Thank you for braving the traffic
to be all here this morning.
Maternal health is often an overlooked concern in especially in
developing states like ours. We often undermine the role of
mothers and most often give extra attention to children,
sometimes senior citizens, but mothers are least among them.
Maternal health is crucial to any developing country’s public
health agenda where the well-being of women of reproductive
age from conception to childbirth up to childrearing is
regarded as a critical building block of any nation. A
thriving workforce and a healthy population - hindi ba’t sa nanay
lahat nagsisimula yan. (Don’t it all start with mothers?)
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has emphasized that the
health and survival of mothers and their newborns are linked to one another, and therefore
interventions in various levels must be identified to address the problems and challenges necessary to
bring maternal healthcare to its optimum level.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Childhood Stunting Framework has illustrated that various
social and cultural causes that impacts the state of nutrition and this includes behavioral and lifestyle
factors, insufficient access to nutritious food, inadequate care inadequate feeding and even health
practices. And the Philippines is no exception.
We at KABAYAN believe that maternal health is a critical building block in nation-building. Sabi nga,
“happy wife, happy life” or “happy mommy, happy baby”. Ang saya siguro nang mundo, kung masaya lahat
ng nanay. (We at KABAYAN believe that maternal health is a critical building block in nation-building. As they
say, “happy wife, happy life” or “happy mommy, happy baby”. Wouldn’t the world be better if all mothers were happy?)
That is why we chose to gather all stakeholders concerned in health and nutrition so that we can
discuss and consolidate ways and measures to assess maternal health and nutrition. This multi-sectoral
platform aims to provide new data, fresh insights and new perspectives. What’s the real score? Do we
really understand what mothers are going through? The role and responsibilities of mothers have not
changed since time immemorial, but external circumstances and social conditions have changed
insurmountably. Especially, in this digital age of “calling-out-culture” in the social media, it’s easy to
be myopic and be “millennially-woke”, but we need to understand what’s coming from the ground
and seek ways to improve what we can particularly in the case of maternal health. Are our policies

enough? Are the policies supportive of real-life situation on the ground? How can we then address
these challenges if there are? These are just some of the questions that we seek to raise today. We may
not easily have the answers at the end of this session, but correctly identifying problems will be the
first step in facing the issues at hand.
We are grateful for the experts from the health and nutrition fields who accommodated us as we
intend to go through a multi-disciplinary level in understanding this issue so that we can anticipate and
control its possible huge impact in the future of our economy. This multi-sectoral platform shall
provide us information of what we need to know, what we need to understand and where to kickstart
in finding solutions. Let’s see if there is sufficiency in available programs, assess if there is a need for
better policies or healthcare programs and identify areas and circumstances that would require
intervention.
Again, thank you and let’s begin the discussion.

Presentation Summaries
State of Women and Maternal Health in the Philippines
Dr. Jondi Flavier, Chairman of the Board of the Cooperative Movement for
Encouraging NSV (CMEN), and former Executive Director of the Philippine
Center for Population and Development
The discussion focused on women’s struggle in terms of gender issues, depression and ill-health, and
maternal mortality. Dr. Flavier calls forth the involvement of men in maternal and child-raising
activities through Male Involvement for Safe Motherhood (MISMO). He noted that men should be
part of the solution rather than the problem when it comes to addressing gender inequality— an issue
that brings high risks for women’s depression. Dr. Flavier also noted that UHC budget should include
health promotion that will allow women to have more education and empowerment during pregnancy
and family planning.
Apart from these, Dr. Flavier also emphasized how women’s mental health is heavily affected by
climate change and natural disasters. They see the struggle of mothers in evacuation centers and their
problems of securing clean water for formula milk donations—a situation that calls for more support
on mothers in evacuation sites.

Understanding Women’s Mental Health
Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire, Assistant Secretary
Public Health Services Team of the Department of Health
Dr. Vergeire noted that the government’s mental health program only started in 2016 and currently
does not have gender-focused strategies. However, the DOH has a lot of programs that already
address issues on Filipino women’s mental health, which includes the National Family Planning
Program, National Safe Motherhood Program, Women and Child Protection Program, among others.
The increasing teenage pregnancy and its effect on these girls’ mental health is alarming and the DOH
calls for other agencies to help address this. At the same time, the DOH recognizes how the system
for health has been hospital-centric in the Philippines. Part of the goal of Mental Health Gap Action
Program (mhGAP) is to integrate highly mental health services and make this available for
community-based mental health institutions, as well as shift the perspective of Filipinos to consider
primary care as an important part of the health process.
In terms of the First 1000 Days, Asec. Vergeire noted that government should not separately address
it as “child health” and “maternal health”, rather it should cover the whole expanse of the mother-
baby journey. In order for children to be healthy, the government must also take care of mothers,
including their mental health.
Moving forward, the DOH aims to promote the implementation of mental health policies that address
women’s health, build better capacity among all health care providers, strengthen health care provider
network, and sustain dialogues among all participants to address challenges in mental health services.

Maternal Health and Nutrition as Observed in Hospitals
Dr. Unity H. Cortez, Chief of Clinics
Ilocos Traning and Regional Medical Center
Highlighted Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center’s best practices, programs and facilities that
focuses on the well-being of women and mothers. Dr. Cortez shared that they go beyond their
hospital premises and engage barangay health units and partner hospitals in the community and region
to provide resources and training and learning programs in Ilocos. The hospital also offers improved
OB Gyne and ER rooms, better outpatient consultations, adolescent health information programs,
halfway houses for maternity consultations, among others. She noted that hospitals still play a great
role in providing primary health care.
Dr. Cortez reiterates the need for other sectors to work together in order to achieve SDG 3 among
other goals. She noted that 75% of SDG3 factors are actually social determinants or factors outside
the health system. Primary goals of the health sector include achieving better health outcomes, a more
responsive health system and a more equitable health financing.
On top of this, there are three types of challenges or delays that Filipina mothers experience that cause
increase in maternal mortality in the PH: (1) delay in recognizing the need to seek early consultation,
(2) socio-economic factors, and (3) delay in providing appropriate treatment for the patient.

Maternal Health and Nutrition: A Pragmatist’s Perspective
Dr. Ricardo Ramos, Head Consultant, Provincial Health Office of Tarlac
Dr. Ricardo Ramos focused his talk on the need to achieve the proper state of well-being in all aspects
of a person’s health – physical, mental, and social. The discussion defined what health is all about and
what needs to be done to achieve a state of health, which includes proper diet, consuming natural and
process food, having a great sense of health awareness, understanding what it means to be healthy and
deciding and taking action to stay healthy.
Dr. Ramos also called for everyone to participate in the UHC by promoting awareness and prevention
of health diseases.
In terms of the First 1000 days, Dr. Ramos noted that the mother and father must prepare their
reproductive system through proper nutrition and that achieving a state of health even begins prior to
pregnancy extending to post-birth and breastfeeding phase. Mothers should also be empowered to
make decisions for them and their child’s nutrition. He also noted that parenting today has shifted
from just molding to providing and that mothers should include environmental/ ecosystem factors in
raising a child and molding its character.

Understanding Mothers’ Point of View
Dr. Jewehl Gay R. Salo, Family Medicine Consultant
Focused on real story of the challenges and struggles of a Filipina mother despite all the preparations
and lifestyle changes she had to accept during pregnancy. Dr. Salo noted that apart from getting
pregnant at 36 years old, which can be considered as a late age in pregnancy, and being sleep-deprived
while raising her children, she also had problems with breastfeeding when she already had two
children. She shared that it was a challenge to have them competing for her breastmilk, which then
resulted to a mix feeding of both breastmilk and formula milk to her second child before the baby
turned three-months old.
Dr. Salo pointed out the need for mothers to have time for themselves and be aware of the
importance of being mentally healthy in order to keep sane and function well for their children. For
her, being a mother made her a better doctor as she was able to empathize better with her patients.
Apart from this, it was also a struggle for her to find the balance between being a mother and her
profession but at the end of the day, what’s important is achieving a balance between her children’s
health and her well-being.
Dr. Salo believes that mothers should be measured on how committed they are in promoting the
health of their children despite the various challenges that they go through and not by social
constructs and policies that other people have set for them. She calls for government policies and
social norms to be aligned with realities and consider the challenges of women as mothers.

Panel Discussion
• Moderator Dr. Ricardo Ramos opened the discussion by presenting that the biggest
problem of the country on maternal health and nutrition is the need for a pragmatic and
socio-economic view on tackling the issue. Emphasizing that it’s difficult to be a mother,
the question “How can government policy make the situations of the moms as joyful as
possible, especially in the workstations or the workplace?” was posed. He also notes that
it’s common in the Philippines not to have a breastfeeding area or storage facilities.
Dr. Maria Rosario Vergerie, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Health, answered that for
the past years, the department has started implementing their interventions. She reports that they
have already advocated for breastfeeding stations, not just in health facilities but also in malls,
airports and working stations.
She mentioned that talks with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Education
(DepEd) are being done to know how to integrate mothers who have just given birth into their
work units, especially those who cannot afford to have nannies or those who are breastfeeding
and are bringing their children to work.
While acknowledging that these are still plans, she emphasizes that small steps are being
implemented. With all the laws, regulations and guidelines in place, she believes that the programs
can be strengthened further. Asec. Vergerie mentioned that integrating all the programs to benefit
both mothers and children were discussed in the First 1000 days law.
• Relating to Dr. Jewehl Salo’s discussion, KABAYAN Party list member Rucelle Hernandez asked
about the effects of social pressures on mothers. She pointed out that with social media, mothers
are usually criticized for the different ways they raise their child. Ms. Hernandez asked what is the
effect of such social pressures to mothers, and how should this be addressed.

Dr. Salo answered that what mothers experience is hard, especially that a lot of people on
Facebook can criticize every little thing you do. Personally, she thinks there should be no
criticisms or judgement because she believes mothers are in a better position to know how to
raise their own children well. She believes that moms know best and says that mothers should not
be pressured despite other people’s opinion.
Dr. Cortez also noted that in their hospital’s psychiatric unit, there are more cases of women
consultations than men, and one of the most common reasons observed is financial problems.
She believes this is perhaps due to the country’s culture of living with extended families.
Sometimes, a Filipino household has 2 to 3 families living with them and this puts a burden to a
woman who has just given birth, as this period is a critical point for them to support their child.
Another factor that can cause women’s depression is relationships. Relating this to her personal
experience, Dr. Cortez shared that she experienced post-partum blues with her two pregnancies.
Fortunately for her, she said she was able to manage it because of the strong support she received
from her family. When she experienced her post-partum back in 2002, social media wasn’t
popular yet.
But she advised that while these innovations can put unnecessary stress to mothers, there are also
social media accounts that advocate support. There are patient groups online that advocate for a
specific health concerns. She believes that it’s also important for women to take part in creating a
group that can address these social media shaming for mothers. Creating a hotline for these
women is one of her recommendations. She emphasized that it’s important to build a strong
support system for women to overcome these issues.
• Bringing back the discussion on the mother’s responsibility of take care of a child, Dr.
Ramos mentioned that it’s important for legislation to consider the maternity leave in the
country. Comparing the longevity of maternity leaves with countries, he notes that it’s
really important for a workplace to have a daycare center if the government cannot afford
to pay two to three months’ worth of leaves.
Dr. Ramos also opined that it would be beneficial if Congress can legislate the establishment of
daycare centers, not just outside the workplace, but also in the workplace itself as in line with the
Early Childhood Development Law. This law mandates the enhancement of the role of parents
or other caregivers as the primary caregivers and educators of their children from birth onwards.
Consistent with this insight of Dr. Ramos, a participant also mentioned that aside from DSWD,
there is also the Magna Carta for Women. For workplaces, Filipinos can propose to have a
lactating center and a child-friendly center, but this should be included in the Gender and
Development (GAD) plan. The participant noted that this is mandated today, not only for

national agencies but also for local government units (LGUs) to have their GAD plans. She also
emphasizes that what is important here is to start in workplaces or for LGUs to look into gender
issues and sex aggregated data. This way, decision-makers can find out the number of women in a
certain reproductive age group, the number of children, the number of women who have just
given birth and number of pregnant women. These are enough data to provide basis whether this
can be included in the GAD plan, which then can be supported by the employer. It was also
noted that the Philippine Commission on Women should look into this.
• Edna Nito, a representative from the Department of Health, noted that Dr. Cortez’s
presentation didn’t include a public health unit, which should be emphasized as in the
universal health care, health promotion and promotion is given importance.
Dr. Cortez clarified that this is present and is handled by the Chief of Clinics. Her presentation
only focused on items related to family planning and to maternal health issues like adolescence
health and nutrition.
• A question was posed on the government support for mothers during calamities or in
evacuation areas, especially those with infants.
DOH Asec. Vergerie answered that they have programs when it comes to disasters and
emergencies. The government has funds, not just program funds, but also funds from the quick
response. Citing an example, in the recent earthquake in Mindanao, trained workers were
immediately dispatched to do maternal and mental health counseling and assessment for the
children and mothers in evacuation areas. Asec. Vergerie also noted that they provide
commodities during these times of disasters and emergencies.
For long term evacuation centers, the government need to provide co-habitation of couples
during these situations. She emphasizes that it’s important to have a close coordination with the
teams working within the disaster area to prevent violence against women and children.

• Sakura Usman from Kabayan Action Group shared her observation in government
hospitals that she hopes would be addressed. She observed that most pregnant teenagers
are being bullied. She shared an experience where a hospital staff said “If you are
pregnant, you should have money. Pregnancies should be planned unlike getting ill.” She
believes mothers are sensitive to such issues, and questions the discrimination that these
patients go through.
The moderator answered that this is perhaps a miscommunication between generations. Dr.
Ramos said that the youth should be taught that having a child means supporting that child’s
needs and providing education. It doesn’t necessarily mean monetary. He even pointed out that
sex education in schools should include teaching values.
Usman clarified her concern that some staff would gossip first before attending to the patient.
Sharing her personal experience when she was about to give birth, she told the medical staff that
she felt that her baby is coming. However, she was asked to wait because the medical staff is not
done with what she’s doing. She stressed that you can’t stop it when a child is on its way. You
can’t say “Don’t come out yet because I’m not done with what I’m doing.”
Dr. Cortez responded that she believes it’s one of the gaps in practice. In doing capacity building
trainings to healthcare professionals, she makes it a point to discuss how to handle such situations
by emphasizing that empathy is a very important characteristic of a good healthcare professional
(HCP). She believes it’s important to teach HCPs to put themselves in the shoes of their patients.
She notes that if it were a relative or a family member they are treating, the mindset of HCPs
would change and part of giving quality healthcare service is people centeredness.
Cortez admits that unfortunately, this does not only happen in government facilities but also in
private hospitals. She also believes that no government policy can change people’s hearts because
it is something cultural. She observes that this is an act that should not only be handled by the
Department of Health, but a responsibility of all. She believes that it should start from the
organization’s leadership, whether it’s a public or private hospital.
• Observed by Peter Parrocho of KABAYAN Party list, it was presented by Dr. Cortez that
there are less people seeking government’s health programs in rural areas. He recalled
that there was a program before by the late Sen. Juan Flavier called Doctors to the
Barrios. He asked if this is still running today.
Asec. Vergerie confirmed that Doctors to the Barrios (DTTB) is still being implemented by
DOH. Millions of pesos per pear is allocated so the department can adequately deploy doctors to
isolated areas in the country.

Aside from this, she also shared that doctors are being taught on health system reforms and they
can receive their master’s in public management as they finish their doctors to the barrios
program. This was a partnership with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) was
started in the late 1990s.
• Mr. Parrocho also inquired about the ratio of mental health professionals with the
population. He asked how is the government addressing the need for mental health
professionals.
Asec. Vergerie pointed out that that it is the main provision in our mental health law-- the
integration of services coming from the expanse from the higher level facilities to the
communities’ services. She said that from the integration, we have to find a way where to certify a
group of workers to do the basic job of counseling, if we really lack psychiatrists, psychologists or
psychometricians. As a case in point, she also shared that this has been done in several occasions,
where DOH trained physicians to be accredited health professionals for a certain community-
based need.
Supporting the efforts of the lead health agency, Dr. Cortez also mentioned that DOH rotates
medical residents on their last year of residency training program to address the gap of human
health resource. This is done by simply requesting the regional office to ask for support in filling
the gap for manpower and for six months, they can be assigned to far-flung district hospitals.
According to Dr. Cortez, aside from these efforts, with the help of LGUs, barangays or
municipalities, they also go out to communities to help identify people with possible mental
health problems. Once they have been identified and they agree to receive support, they become
a part of a beneficiary for the medicine access program of the DOH when it comes to
maintenance medication.
• In discussing the health and nutrition of the mother and the baby, it was asked if there
will be a policy direction as part of the milk code to address special concerns where the
mother cannot provide breastmilk due to an illness or is under therapy.
Asec. Vergerie affirmed that it was incorporated in the provisions of the RA 1148 or the
‘Kalusugan ng mag-nanay Act’ or the first 1000 days. She mentioned that strategies are in place,
especially that they have experienced this already. While it is not yet widely spread, she said that
they have already implemented wet nursing in evacuation sites for children with sick or missing
mothers. Explaining wet nursing, she mentioned that it is when infants in need of breastmilk are
being breastfed by other mothers.

Aside from this, she mentioned that there are also milk banks which are required for tertiary
hospitals in the country. As of now, only less than ten government hospitals have milk banks and
the health department is hoping to establish more.
All of these are for instances where mothers are sick. However, she emphasized that EO 51 or
the Milk Code, and the inter-agency committee headed by the DOH, is very strong in its position
that breastmilk is the best, and do not like to undermine the value of breastmilk by being flexible
in its position to accommodate situations where mothers are sick or there is a disaster.
She mentioned that discussions are in the works. They’ve already had a dialogue with the milk
companies because of recent discussions due to a calamity where they wish to donate products.
Currently, the inter-agency committee is really advocating for breastmilk alone for babies.
Dr. Cortez also shared that their hospital was recognized as a mother-baby friendly hospital. This
is a way of promoting and supporting mother-baby’s health. At the same time, she reported that
they are in the process of putting up their milk bank, in partnership with a rotary club. She
comments that sometimes we just have to get the necessary partners to move.
• Dr. Ramos probes on extreme cases where the hospital is a baby-friendly facility, but the
mom is allergic to some antibiotics that are necessary to control sepsis, and what is only
allowed for her not to have allergies is tetracycline derivative or tetra itself, will the
hospital lose being a baby-friendly facility?
Dr. Vergerie says there are exceptions.
Focusing on a more common scenario, Dr. Flavier mentioned HIV aids. He pointed out that the
virus is passed on through breastmilk.
• Dr. Flavier believes the more important question to be asked is “How can we support
women, especially in this age of social media?”
Dr. Flavier believes that mothers and congressmen alike will be subject to many criticisms. All
these issues are unfortunately distracting mothers from their goal—to take care of their babies.
He emphasized that women and mothers are subject to different conditions that should be
understood and supported in various ways. He mentioned that he’s glad that Asec. Vegerie
pointed out that the government won’t imprison women for not breastfeeding, or when she’s in
an evacuation center and cannot breastfeed. He highlighted that it’s important to instead support
women.

Policies supporting women and children are in place, namely the Universal Health Care, Milk
Code and the First 1000 days. For Dr. Flavier, the difficult part is getting funding. He pointed out
that it’s important to get funding support or to look for ways where the policies and laws can
already be applied.
He stressed that while it is easier to put the blame on the government, it can’t be like that in the
Philippine setting because it would just be an excuse. He believes that if we want to reduce
maternal mortality, we cannot leave it to government or congress alone. Private sector and
ordinary citizens have to help out. He believes that partnerships should be mobilized to really
address maternal mortality and nutritional problems.
Dr. Ramos ended the discussion by summarizing that mother-baby care is everyone’s concern.
Everyone is a stakeholder to ensure that the wellness of the mother, baby, and the entire
population of the country is uplifted.
[L-R] Atty. Joel Emerson J. Gregorio, Dr. Ricardo Ramos, Dr. Unity Cortez, Dr. Maria Rosario
Vergeire, Dr. Jondi Flavier, Dr. Jewehl Gay R. Salo and Hon. Ron P. Salo.

Closing Remarks
Atty. Joel Emerson J. Gregorio, Member of the Board of Trustees
Chevening Foundation of the Philippines
Thank you everyone for participating in today’s forum. I just have three points to share before we
close.
The first is this event is co-sponsored by the Chevening Alumni Foundation of the Philippines, so I
would be remiss in not promoting this organization. This is an association of Filipino scholars who
have been granted scholarship by the British government. Among our members, we count
Congressman Ron Salo, and Dr. Jondi Flavier. If you think you want to study for free in the United
Kingdom, you can apply and try to get that scholarship—if not, perhaps, you’re loved ones, your
children, your friends. It is open to all Filipinos, and it would be given based on merit.
The second that I want to say is that thank you to all the presenters. They have established that they
are indeed leaders in their respective fields. This morning we have established that there is a need to
promote maternal health and nutrition and that there is a gap that needs to be addressed.
The third that I want to say, which is connected to the second, is we want to commend the
KABAYAN Party list for this initiative. We know that Congressman Ron Salo was the primary mover
for the Universal Health Care Law, and we hope that he would continue his initiative and advocacy to
promote maternal well-being and nutrition.
Thank you, everyone, for attending today’s forum.

Stakeholder Consultation: State of Maternal Health and Nutrition in the PH

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Stakeholder Consultation: State of Maternal Health and Nutrition in the PH

Similar to Stakeholder Consultation: State of Maternal Health and Nutrition in the PH (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Stakeholder Consultation: State of Maternal Health and Nutrition in the PH