NCM 109 A

CARE OF MOTHER, CHILD AT RISK OR WITH PROBLEM

REFLECTION

Our world right now is facing too many problems. Securing healthy lives and
promoting wellness of everyone at all times is necessary in sustaining the development
of a country. Many factors contributed in high maternal and neonatal mortality rates,
resulting from pregnancy complications occurring during labor up to the post-partum
period. As for neonatal deaths it is because of complications occurring within the first
week of life. Other than that, teenage pregnancy, poverty, and also the limited access in
health care facilities is one of the factors contributing to Maternal and neonatal deaths.
Pregnant women are often to seek for check-up due to lack of healthcare centers near
in their area. Some might have their own health facilities; however, they do not have
enough material and equipment to be used, they are just improvising some materials for
patients to use. Another problem in our country is, we are lacking of healthcare workers.
The ideal of nurse-patient ratio is in every one nurse there are 12 patients allotted for
them, but this is far from the reality. Same situation in the doctor-to-patient ratio. It
is an in-demand job, but only few are staying here in the Philippines to work in our
hospitals, because most of them are working abroad due to its high salary and benefits.

MNCHN or the Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Nutrition was

implemented to address the 4 th, 5th and 6th Millennium Development Goal that pertains
on reducing the child mortality, improving maternal health and combatting HIV/AIDS,
Malaria and other diseases. The goal of Department of Health is to reduce the
maternal and newborn deaths by integrating the MNCHN services strategy. It is
written under the Administrative Order 2008-0029 known as the “Implementing Health
Reforms for Rapid Reduction of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality”. MNCHN strategy is
a package of services compose of different interventions that will carry out on each
life stages starting from pre-pregnancy up to the newborn periods. These strategies
and services have a big impact on attaining the goal which is reducing the maternal
and newborn deaths in the Philippines. The program packages of MNCHN strategies
takes along on the improvement of health among mother and newborns and most of
the area in the Philippines offered this kind of strategies or programs. For me, the
NCM 109 A
CARE OF MOTHER, CHILD AT RISK OR WITH PROBLEM
idea and benefit of each programs is good and has a lot of benefits especially how
these programs resolve and lessen the rate of mother and newborn mortalities.
Furthermore, I think that the most important and needed program is the Basic
Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC) and Comprehensive Emergency
Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) services. These two-emergency obstetrics and
newborn care (emonc) services helps on managing the risk factors as well as the
pregnancy complications during labor up to post-partum. Since, danger and
complications is cannot be predicted or prevented, we should consider that all
pregnancy is all at risk and anytime there is a danger that might happen in both mother
and the baby. The services that belong to BEmONC are: administration of oxytocin,
anti-convulsant, antibiotics, Imminent breech delivery, removal of retained products of
conception and placenta. As for the newborn, it includes resuscitation in newborn,
treatment for neonatal infection and oxygen support. While the services that belongs to
CEmONC are: caesarean delivery services, blood transfusion and banking services; as
for neonates, among them is resuscitation on newborn, treatment of neonatal infection,
oxygen support, low birth weight or preterm newborn management and other
specialized newborn services.

Despite of this excellent program, not everyone in the community can afford
these services and other has no access in any health facility especially those who are
located in the rural areas or secluded places to be exact. We do not have enough
resources such as health workers, equipment and facilities. Other than that, at times
like this were pandemic happens, it is more harder to carry out these strategies due
to fear of everyone and because of threat of COVID-19. Not all Filipinos has a good
quality of education. And lack of knowledge and skills has a big effect on why
Philippines’ number of populations, HIV/AIDS cases, maternal and neonatal mortality
rate is growing rapidly. The government must educate the people on things like this.
While Filipinos should open their mind about this kind of topic. Teaching sexual
education is not a bad thing. Teaching this might open the mind of every Filipinos the
proper knowledge about safe sex practices and to dispel some myths about sex.
NCM 109 A
CARE OF MOTHER, CHILD AT RISK OR WITH PROBLEM
Therefore, we can prevent or avoid unwanted, mistimed and unsupported pregnancy.
The government should prioritize building more healthcare facilities in every area,
especially for those who are far away from the cities. Next is instead of cutting a budget
for the Department of Health, we should focus more in this strand of government.
Adding a budget on Department of Health helps easily to carry out this plan, especially
in times like this, when we are experiencing this pandemic. By this, we can secure
adequate care during pregnancy, delivering with an attended skilled professional and a
facility that everyone can access in times of emergency and last is to secure proper
postpartum and newborn care for the mother and her baby.