4P's benefits 2T families - City Government of Ormoc

More births recorded in 3-in-1 buildingsby Roberto C. DejonIn a span of three (3) years after City Mayor Eric C. Codilla built thefive 3-in-1 District Centers located in the five strategic areas in the city,the birthing at the said centers has increased compared to house deliveries.This was the revelation of City Health Department head Dr. NelitaNavales during the weekly “Meet the Press” forum at the conference roomof the Sangguniang Panlungsod at the New City Hall building last Friday.Dr. Navales pointed out that based on records the city is expectingmore than 4000 deliveries per year and in the previous years most of themare done at home. But she said just a year after the 3-in-1 birthing centerswere opened this statistics went 50-50 for community birthing. She addedhowever that last year the birthing at the district building has increasecommunity to 68% leaving only few birthing activities at home.3-in-1 centers effectivein lowering maternaland child mortalityThe creation of the 3-in-1birthing centers has proven effectivein lowering the maternal and childmortality because they are properlycared for by the personnel manningthe centers. She said in 2008 theCity Health Department recorded11 maternal deaths. She added thatwhen the 3-in-1 birthing centerbecame operational it went downand in the last 3 consecutive yearsthe health department was only ableto record 2 maternal deaths per yearand this year they already recorded2.But Dr. Navales went on tosay that not all the deaths that theyhad recorded means they are allresidents of the city. She said thatthose who incurred maternal deathin the hospital even if they are notfrom this city are recorded by thecity health department because theysuccumbed in a local hospital here.Of the two maternal deaths this yearone was not thoroughly investigatedbecause she was a transient to thecity while the other one was a 29 yr.old mother from Dist. 26JICA assistanceenhance birthing skillsof 3-in-1 centerdeliveriesDr. Navales on the other handdisclosed that the assistance of theJapan International CooperationAgency (JICA) to the birthingactivity in the five district centerhas enhanced the personnel in theirdelivery skills. She said that JICAsponsored 3 major activities duringthe first year of their assistance tothe city which ended last June andthe second year will start on August.Dr. Navales disclosed that thefirst major activities was whenJICA spent at least P50, 000 eachfor the 5 members birthing teamin every district centers in theirtraining activity for two weeks atthe Don Vicente Sotto memorialhospital in Cebu City. She addedthat the trained team memberscomposed of a doctor, nurses, andthe main midwives enhanced theircapabilities in suturing, Intravenous(IV) and Internal Examinations (IE)of the birthing mothers. “Beforethat if a patient is bleeding theywill be immediately brought to ahospital. But now they would applyall necessary attention before thesemothers are brought to the hospital.”Dr. Navales stressed.Second JICA, providedequipment to all birthing centers likeautoclave sterilizer in the five districtbuildings, adjustable delivery beds,along with sphygmomanometer orthe BP instrument and many others.Third major actitivity accordingto Dr. Navales was when they trainedthe community health volunteer’sbarangay level in 32 barangays forthe community health teams. Shesaid that this volunteers’ are taskedto find pregnant women and bringthem to their facility for delivery inthe district centers. She added thatthey strengthened their communitybased volunteers have so they couldachieve their target of getting downtheir maternal and child mortalityrate in the city.Those volunteers trained byJICA according to Dr. Navales arecalled pregnant trackers. They areassigned in an area where they willfind all the pregnant women and bringthem to their facility for prenatal, upto delivery up to post partum. Thisthe significant achievement of JICAin their first year says the City HealthDepartment chief Dr. Nelita Navales.Snake bite venomantidote available at CHOMarifel J. SoroteCity Health Department headDr. Nelita Navales on Fridayannounces the availability of snakevenom at the city health office.At the weekly “Meet the Press”forum held at the SangguniangPanlungsod conference room, Dr.Navales said that in an occurrenceof a snake bite the local city healthoffice can provide the patientthe antidote to save his life. Butshe said this could only be giventhrough the request of an attendingphysician of the patients. She saidthat once the proper request iscompleted the Animal Bite Centerunder sentinel nurse Elsie Jaca, willimmediately provide the venom.Dr. Navales wants thepublic know that the local healthdepartment has been in possessionof the antidote against snake bites.It is one of the supports provided bythe Department of Health to the CityHealth Department even after thedevolution in 1992. She added thatin this part of Leyte, only the CityHealth Department could providethe snake bite antidote because itis where the office of Elsie Jaca,Animal Bite Center is located.The snake bite antidoteaccording to Dr. Navales is onlymade by the Research Instituteof Traditional Medicine (RITM)which is also under the Departmentof Health. The antidote is takenfrom the most poisonous snake inthe country known as the PhilippineCobra and locally known as“ibingan”. The DOH gives thisantidote to all Animal Bite Centersall over the country for free andthey will also give this to the snakebite patients for free.Recently, Dr. Navalesdisclosed, that a snake bite patientcoming from Albuera, Leyteneeded an antidote. Fortunatelythey still have one antidote left inthe office. And because of this sheimmediately called the attention ofthe RITM to deliver the antidote toensure that if another snake bitingactivity occurred in the city or inthe neighboring municipalities theAnimal Bite Center at the CityHealth Department has the neededtreatment.Sentinel Nurse Elsie Jacathrough a text message said thatthis year a total of 6 snake bitecases have been recorded in heroffice with one mortality. But 3 ofwhich are not residents of the city,the other three still questionable ifthey are really city residents. Jacacontinued that she has just turnedover 10 vials of this snake biteantidote to OSPA hospital so theycould use this anytime a patientcomes in for medical attention.Asthere were number of times in thepast that relatives of patients wouldgo to her house at the wee hours ofthe morning. At present the localcity health department still has anumber of antidote for snake bitein their office.www.ormoc.gov.phAngOrmocanon 3