Maternal mortality is a serious healthcare concern worldwide. In the Philippines, there are 114 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, according to a 2017 report by the Asian Development Bank.
“No mother should die while giving life,” asserted Dr. Beaver Tamesis, president and managing director of MSD in the Philippines.
He added, “Maternal mortality is one of the many problems that MSD sees as a threat to the health and well-being not only of mothers, but also to their families and community.”
Protecting mothers from death while giving life is at the core of MSD for Mothers and the Zuellig Family Foundation’s three-year alliance that aims to improve maternal care in 20 Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) in Samar and Northern Samar provinces.
The partnership began in 2013, with the program, “MSD for Mothers and ZFF Community Health Partnership: The Joint Initiative” that followed ZFF’s “Health Change Model,” with the local mayors, community leaders, and health workers who underwent transformative leadership training that enabled them to understand the significance of their role in developing healthcare systems for the poor.
To encourage collaborative leadership to improve maternal health, the “BIDA sa GIDA” framework and mantra was piloted as an integral part of the approach. “BIDA” stands for Bulig, Inspirasyon, Dedikasyon, at Aksyon (help, inspiration, dedication and action).
“This partnership program was the first in Asia for MSD for Mothers. From its conception until now we are seeing it to its fruition; the program is one corporate responsibility initiative we are most proud of as we know this is where we can make a great difference for the purpose of life,” said Tamesis.
The National Statistics Coordination Board reported in 2012 that Samar and Northern Samar provinces recorded a higher poverty incidence compared to the regional rate. Not surprisingly, the maternal mortality ratio was very high, way beyond the national goal of 52 by 2015.
Through engagements, trainings, and coaching, the number of maternal deaths decreased from 27 to eight in 2015. Mothers choosing facility-based deliveries increased from 55 to 85 percent; deliveries attended by skilled birth attendants increased from 71 to 87 percent; and contraceptive prevalence rates rose from 34 to 40 percent.
Further, ZFF also donated birthing facilities or halfway homes in the far-flung areas. Use of facilities and childbirth delivery were accredited as part of PhilHealth benefits.
The number of health workers trained in the BIDA sa GIDA Modules has reached 118, including 91 midwives, 14 public health nurses, and 13 barangay health worker federation presidents in a span of three years.
To share and consolidate learnings from the GIDA communities that were part of the Joint Development Initiative, a GIDA Summit was recently hosted by the DOH Regional Office 8 at Leyte Park Hotel, Tacloban. The summit showcased the health leadership program supported by MSD for Mothers which was instrumental in the development of the GIDA framework employed by ZFF.