Koronadal City—Local health workers in South Cotabato urged pregnant women to undergo four quality prenatal care before giving birth to plan out possible complications and save them from maternal death.
Genesis Navales, Maternal Health Care Program Focal Person, said most of the maternal deaths last year could have been prevented if these women underwent and received quality prenatal care.
“In practice, pregnant women in South Cotabato usually visit a health kung makita nila ang ila nga tiyan nga nagadaku na,” Navales said based on a local study conducted by the province.
According to the 2018 Review on Maternal Deaths in South Cotabato, there were 12 women died because of giving birth. A 15-year-old was the youngest mother who died after she gave birth to her child and a 43-year-old mother of 11 children was the oldest according to age bracket.
There are three maternal deaths in Tboli, a town in South Cotabato with challenging and geographically isolated areas which is one of the contributory factors in the increasing maternal deaths. On the other hand, the towns of Polomolok, Suralah, and the City of Koronadal have reported two maternal deaths last year.
This 2019, the Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit recorded four maternal deaths.
The common causes of pregnant women’s deaths are loss of blood, hypertension, and a blood infection, Navales said.
However, Navales said other factors which contribute to maternal death are problems in the referral system, poor family planning, poor history taking an assessment of health worker, congested OB ward in government hospitals, lack of hospital equipment and delay in the access of blood supply.
“We will act on these problems immediately because no mothers should die because of giving birth,” Navales added.
