KALAHI-CIDSS health station now a birthing clinic thru public-private partnership

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January 1, 2012

TACLOBAN CITY  –  The Barangay La Perla Health Station at the municipality of Laoang, Northern Samar, which was built under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), now serves as a Birthing Clinic, thanks to the public-private partnership.

It was learned that the local government of Laoang, through Mayor Madeleine Ong, partnered with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and a private sector KAKAK Foundation through the Mother Bless Clinic, in order to cater to pregnant mothers in this far-lung area in the Region.

Mayor Ong informed that the health station was completed early last year while the clinic was set up on November 7 of the same year.

The facilities and equipment are provided by the KAKAK Foundation, a privately- owned foundation based in Leyte and supported by the Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla.

Marissa Camero, an on-call midwife assigned at the birthing clinic, said that since its set-up, the Birthing Clinic has served eight expectant mothers who gave birth to eight healthy babies.

At the average, at least one birth per week has been attended to from November 7 to December 10, Ms. Camero said.

Mayor Madeleine Ong said that the creation of the birthing clinic at Barangay La Perla aims to lower down the risks of, and hopefully to totally prevent mother and child mortality.

Mothers and babies die unnecessarily during childbirth because majority of the poorest women in the rural areas do not have access to health facilities and competent health workers and that 50% of the poorest women do not have money to pay a skilled birth attendant.

With the Birthing Clinic providing pre-natal, childbirth and post-natal services to pregnant mothers in the area, there is hope that mothers and babies will be provided with life-saving services right at their doorsteps.

Laoang is situated in the northeastern part of the province of Northern Samar, it is bounded by the Philippine Sea in the North, in the south by the municipality of Catubig, in the east by the municipality of Palapag; in on the west by the municipality of Pambujan.