QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista on Monday ordered the city health department to tap the private sector in lowering the mortality rate of birthing mothers and their infants.
At a news conference, Bautista stressed the importance of maternal and neonatal services to the well-being of a pregnant woman and her child.
“Neonatal check-up is no joke,” he told reporters.
The city is rolling out an online information exchange database to provide quicker and more accessible maternal and neonatal health services.
The mayor said his “marching order’ is to “involve the private sector in the governance side of the city government.”
“We are now three million Filipinos in Quezon City and we need the participation and cooperation of the private sector to address the challenges of the sustainable development goals to lower the mortality rate of mothers giving birth and their newborn,” he said.
Quezon City aims to reduce by 30 percent to 40 percent the number of birthing mothers employing the traditional means, Bautista said.
“We started with the lying-in clinics, but we would like to expand this to other specialized health services,” he added.
Bautista, in partnership with the United Laboratories Inc., spearheaded the launch of the 5th Maternal and Neonatal Summit and Seal or Excellence-awarded lying-in clinics to immediately synchronize through the Internet postpartum and newborn profiles using the prescribed reporting template with the city’s database.
“This innovation shall make available all necessary, quality, safe and free services for both mother and newborn as part of their continuum of care from the private lying-in clinic to their health center,” city health officer Dr. Verdades Linga said.
“In 2016, only 23 percent are Seal of Excellence awardees, while 17 percent are lacking in some requirements. At least 54 percent are poor in compliance. An improvement is evident this year. Out of the 83 operational private lying-in clinics, 44 or 53 percent have outstanding performance, while 5 percent needs improvement. [About] 37 percent are poor in compliance,” she added.