PHO trains 1,500 midwives to reduce

LINGAYEN— The provincial health office has been conducting a series of orientation-workshop for more than 1,500 midwives in a bid to organize a network of Women’s Health and Safe Motherhood (WHSM) team in all barangays.

The organization of WSHM in every barangay is envisioned to deliver quality women’s health and “saf `ehood-motherhood” services with midwives as key leaders to prevent maternal deaths in the province of Pangasinan.

The 2007 health statistics shows that the province has 20 maternal deaths per 1,000 live births.

The leading causes of maternal deaths that can be prevented when given a proper maternal health care include ectopic pregnancy, obstructed labor, hypertension due to eclampsia, convulsion, infection and post-partum hemorrhage.

Dr. Jackson Soriano, PHO officer-in-charge, said the WSHM team will be the frontliners of the province in the health service delivery system in the barangay as far as maternal health care is concerned.

“Midwives play a pivotal role in the formation of a proactive WSHM team to safeguard the health of our pregnant women, thus prevent maternal deaths in your jurisdiction ,” he said.

For her part, Dr. Cielo Almoite, family health care cluster head, pointed out that the goal of having an WHSM team in every barangay is “to ensure the safety of pregnant women from her first trimester period up to her post-partum delivery.

“These are considered as high-risk period for pregnant women that needs to be monitored by the WHSM team,” she stressed.

The composition of WSHM team includes the barangay health worker, traditional birth attendants (TBAs) as members together with municipal health officer and public health nurse as team’s supervisor and assistant supervisor respectively.

Eleonor Maramba, PHO’s maternal health care coordinator, has explained to the midwives the various mechanisms in the provision of improving the women’s health and safe motherhood.

These include the coming up with a masterlist of pregnant women and assisting them to accomplish birth plan for they could easily monitor their regular monthly check-up to the health center. (Merly R. Tibalao/PIO)