No mother has to die giving life

That’s the sacred do-or-die mantra of the partnership between global pharmaceutical company MSD and the Zuellig Family Foundation. This partnership made in heaven is called The MSD for Mothers and ZFF Community Health Partnership: The Joint Development Initiative.

Consider these grim statistics: In the Philippines, 11 mothers die of pregnancy and pregnancy-related causes daily. And then there are the chilling ripple effects: Her baby is more likely to die before the age of two; her other children are 10 times more likely to suffer from poor health and drop out of school, and die prematurely.

“One of the major causes of maternal deaths is delay in response and the lack of prenatal care,” says Ramon Emmanuel Derige, vice president, Zuellig Family Foundation. “There’s no pregnancy tracking system. We need to track down women who need special attention.”

Which is why in some places, some mayors have set up birthing facilities. “Bawal manganak sa bahay (mothers are not allowed to give birth at home),” notes Derige.

There’s an ordinance mandating that all deliveries are to be made in the rural health unit, never at home  (as is the traditional practice in far-flung places where help is not readily available).

Derige tells the story of a 17-year-old mother in Zamboanga who died while giving birth to her second child. Then there’s this older mom who’s had 11 deliveries, seven of which were prematurely aborted.

 â€œAdaptive skills are necessary because inaction might mean death,” stresses Derige. “Our health workers are encouraged to be innovative, inventive, to come up with solutions if, for instance, there’s no transportation to bring the mother in labor to the hospital.”

Help has arrived. In September last year, MSD launched MSD for Mothers, a long-term advocacy, in cooperation with global health partners, to create a world where no woman has to die to give life. According to MSD, this effort will launch a 10-year initiative utilizing MSD’s scientific and business expertise “to expand global access to healthcare by making proven solutions more widely available, developing new game-changing technologies, and improving public awareness, policy efforts, and private sector engagement for maternal mortality.”

With a grant of P20M, MSD’s tie-up with Zuellig Family Foundation involves a three-year program aimed at helping 21 of the 70 municipalities in the three provinces of Samar Island in Eastern Visayas reduce the number of mothers dying because of childbirth.

These are the geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas where there are no hospitals. The nearest hospital is probably in the next town.  “There are places where the only means of transport is a banca and some mothers die along the way,” relates Derige.

To compound the problem, there’s an increasing trend in teenage pregnancy. “Young girls who have no access to education are vulnerable to this kind of behavior,” Derige sadly notes.

For this program to take off, mayors are extremely important. “We make sure the mayors commit something  — whether time, money, expertise.”

Truth is, under the leadership of Mayor Daylinda Sulong, Lapuyan, a fourth-class municipality in Zamboanga del Sur with a population of 26,175, has been able to record zero maternal and infant deaths after adopting Zuellig Family Foundation’s community health partnership program.

But it was not without the initial “labor pains.” Says the lady mayor, “We used to encounter a lot of resistance when it comes to facility-based deliveries. We understand that our indigenous groups they have rituals and beliefs before delivery. We try to explain to them the risks, and we have made progress.”

Lapuyan armed its health personnel by conducting training programs.

The program has given birth to new birthing clinics. Lapuyan even holds a buntis congress where pregnant mothers get together and learn about the importance of prenatal care and follow-up.

How do we prevent unwanted pregnancy in the first place?

“Our young mothers are bored, especially those in the remote areas, they have nothing to do,” observes one journalist.

Maybe the mayor can gather these women together and teach them a craft or two or how to make something, instead of making babies, that they can turn into cash.

And make this dream of zero maternal and infant deaths a reality all over the Philippines, especially in places where you  have to cross a mountain and cry a mound of tears to get to the nearest health facility.