Mauswagong Mirangan: Healthy Mothers for a Healthy Community

During a community survey conducted last October 2011in barangay Mirangan, it revealed that only 54% of pregnant mothers are seeking prenatal care services at the barangay health station. Upon interview with the barangay health workers and the community residents, it was noted that the following were considered to be the cause of low utilization of prenatal care services in the community

§ Expectant mothers disregarding ill effects of home deliveries which may be related to knowledge deficit and low salience of the problem

§ The distance and the burden of traveling undeveloped road to get to the health station

§ The practice of traditional birth attendants “mananabang” or “hilot” which encourages expectant mothers to deliver at home

§ There is a need for further improvement on the knowledge and practices of barangay health workers in the delivery of prenatal care services

§ Lack of a systematic monitoring and referral scheme

§ Lack of political will

§ Lack of determination to conduct health promotion and disease prevention activities

Coordination with key organizations in the community and assembly meetings were conducted in order to disseminate information and hold a dialogue with the community residents are needed to realize the program’s feasibility. Interventions that are more applicable and acceptable for their current situation are sought to increase the chances of adapting these projects. Existing legislative support reinforces programs as necessary especially when it comes to home deliveries attended by traditional birth attendants. Barriers in accessing prenatal care were addressed, particularly its accessibility, availability and its quality and provide solutions to these barriers.

For the accessibility, the team improved existing Community Learning and Recreation Centers (CLARCs) especially in distant hamlets. These CLARCs were now considered to be the barangay’s “health hub” where the health workers can conduct series of health teaching and prenatal care. Health bulletins were installed and health related IECs were also posted.

For the availability of prenatal care services, the team assessed the current status of the Barangay Health Station through the utilization of DOH Evaluation Checklists. Other necessary equipment and supplies needed for prenatal care were noted.

For the quality, the team emphasized the importance of training health workers and other health volunteers (Purok Emergency Response Team (PERT) Members) in delivering basic prenatal care services. To further enhance the delivery of these services, the team had adopted Project Maternal Assistance and Monitoring Activity or Project M.A.M.A. With this scheme, those pregnant populations of different hamlets were monitored and additional assistance was given. The team, through the efforts of the barangay council came up with proposed resolutions to sustain proposed activities like recognizing PERT volunteer members for Project M.A.M.A and approving the observance of Health Consciousness Week as an annual event in the barangay.

The commitment of the health workers and community health volunteers in providing the best health care available at the barangay level would ensure the sustainability of the proposed strategies. Improvement of existing systematic referrals and monitoring schemes and integrating innovative strategies like Project M.A.M.A. devised by the key persons in the barangay would provide a sense of ownership. Copies of training manuals for health care workers were also provided to ensure efficient delivery of prenatal care services in the community. They were also encouraged to do monitoring and house-to-house visits. The team also made efforts in establishing active partnership with the Siay Rural Health Unit and other intersectoral collaborations for on-going projects. Strengthening Municipal ordinances and barangay resolutions supporting the programs on prenatal care were also done. Furthermore, collaboration with the various organizations in the community and by involving them in the activities and programs implemented would make them feel empowered and further improve their goal to a healthy community.

Positive outcomes were revealed, as shown on figure above, out of the activities and projects conducted, the team concluded that the interventions employed in the realization of the goals for this problem are effective. The objective towards an increase of utilization of prenatal services in the barangay health station from 54% from 2011 to 100% as of February 2015 was attained.