UNFPA equips Sarangani SRH tools re emergencies

By BEVERLY C. PAOYON

 

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (October 25, 2013) – The United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA), an international agency assisting governments in delivering Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) care, is capacitating frontline offices in Sarangani with SRH tools in responding to crisis situations.

 

On October 23-25, the UNPFA conducted a first level training as a prelude to integrating the tools, called Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP), to the provincial disaster risk reduction and management plan of the province.

 

MISP was introduced to reduce mortality, morbidity and disability in crisis-affected populations by achieving universal access to SRH including family planning.

 

Arnen Kasan, UNPFA area programme officer for Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani, said the intervention came as part of the 7th Country Programme of Assistance for 2012 to 2016 where Sarangani is among the ten sites in the country receiving support on maternal health, family planning, prevention of gender-based violence, adolescent reproductive health and the prevention of child marriages.

 

Kasan reported 17 maternal deaths in Sarangani in 2013 while the current year already posted eight. Although cases are gradually decreasing, he pointed out that with the target of Millennium Development Goals by 2015 to at least reduce by 52 deaths per 100,000 live births, he is doubtful the province could cope especially whenever calamities strike.

 

According to Kasan, interventions should be strengthened to address needs of women as this will, in effect, address maternal deaths.

 

Meanwhile, assistant provincial health officer Arvin Alejandro said aside from improving services on the Tutok Buntis program, his office was also strengthening the province’s Hospital Assistance Program (HAP) which included now complicated pregnancies as priority.

 

With HAP, the provincial government shoulders mostly 70 percent of the total bills of indigent patients while the remaining 30 percent is either shouldered by the patient or settled in counterpart by the municipality.

 

Alejadro said the provincial government is billed an average of P20 million annually for the three private hospitals they partnered with the HAP.

 

The province also already enrolled 11,666 individuals to PhilHealth which services also prioritize pregnancy cases. (Beverly C. Paoyon/ SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)