REELECTED Rep. Alfred Vargas of Quezon City on Sunday expressed concern over the increasing maternal mortality ratio and vowed to refile a bill on that matter in the 17th Congress next month.
“It is disturbing to note that maternal health, as part of the country’s Millennium Development Goals [MDGs], is not so encouraging,” he said.
Vargas promised not to give up on House Bill 6476 filed in the 16th Congress seeking to establish an office of pregnancy support services under the Department of Health.
Citing the Fifth Philippine Progress Report on the MDGs, he said it can be inferred that the country “may have not met its MDG target on maternal health as the maternal mortality ratio increased from 209 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 221 in 2011, failing to meet the 2015 target of 52.”
The proposed OPSS shall be tasked to encourage and assist pregnant women to carry their children to live birth by providing services during and after pregnancy, he noted.
“Our initiative seeks to alleviate pregnant women and their families from the difficulties that may otherwise lead to abortion or death of a child during childbirth,” he said.
Under the measure, pregnancy support services during and after pregnancy include material assistance, such as maternity and baby clothing, diapers, baby food and milk, and pro-bono obstetric and prenatal care services for women intending to carry their children to live birth.
The health secretary shall develop a comprehensive publicly accessible, and user-friendly database to be known as the pregnancy care information service to serve as a consolidated source of information on pregnancy support services.