THE Department of Health and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. launched Friday the benefit packages for premature and small newborns to treat the leading cause of death among newborn babies worldwide.
Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial said the launch of this innovative benefit package would enable families to avail themselves of the necessary care for babies suffering from preterm and low birth weight complications.
By yearend, she said the PhilHealth benefit package for premature and small babies could be availed of in selected contracted government and private tertiary health facilities by all PhilHealth members.
She said the package covered a broad range of interventions from management of preterm labor to addressing severe complications of prematurity and low birth weight.
Examples of these include giving antenatal corticosteroids for pregnant women at risk of giving birth to premature baby, incentive for maternal transfer to the nearest referral facility while the baby is still inside, Unang Yakap at birth, Kangaroo Mother Care, neonatal intensive care and breastfeeding support.
PhilHealth president Ramon Aristoza said: “This is a landmark benefit for PhilHealth [which] will address the problem of prematurity and low birth weight from the primary care level to the tertiary level.”
The benefit packages, designed with the support of the Unicef, will potentially reach 300,000 premature and small newborns every year.
Complications of preterm birth and low birth weight are the top killers of newborn babies globally.
These complications result in more than one-million deaths each year and countless others of babies who survive and suffer lifelong physical, neurological, or educational disability, often at great cost to families and society.
In the Philippines, almost half of children who die before their fifth birthday are newborns. Of those babies who die, 60 percent succumb to complications brought about by prematurity and low birth weight.
An estimated three-quarters of these preterm babies could survive if they had access to cost-effective interventions. Because of critical socioeconomic disparities, however, these interventions remain inaccessible to many, health officials said.
Preterm and small babies need special care, as they are not fully prepared to live in the world outside their mother’s womb. They get cold and infections more easily and need more help to breastfeed compared to full-term babies, the officials added.
Ubial noted that newborn deaths due to complications of prematurity and low birth weight could be prevented.
She said this could be done with adequate quality prenatal care and sufficient intake of nutritious food during pregnancy, managing complications prior to giving birth with proper use of steroids or antibiotics, early initiation of breastfeeding even for premature and small babies, known as Unang Yakap and, lastly, doing kangaroo mother care.
“These are just a few of the interventions that can be applied to ensure the survival and health of premature and small babies who face daunting challenges right after birth. The cost of saving preterm and small babies has been economically catastrophic to many families, both rich and poor,” said Ubial.
World Health Organization Country representative Dr.GundoWeiler lauded the new benefit package, saying asking families to make cash payments has been a key obstacle to expanding appropriate care to all infants.
This package, he said, will make a substantial impact on lives and will help the Philippines achieve the National Objectives for Health, contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of less than 10 newborn deaths for every 1000 live births by 2030.
According to Unicef Country Representative Lotta Sylwander, “We see this policy as a game-changer which could help the country in further lowering child mortality.
“Unicef will continue to work with government partners to ensure its proper implementation and increase its availability for all Filipino mothers and children.”
Unicef provided DOH and Philhealth with technical assistance to craft these benefit packages, ensuring the process was consultative, evidence-informed and equity-focused.